Hello My Friend/Guest,

Today is Thursday April 30, 2009 and we are continuing our studies on the book of I Kings. Please read chapters 19-20 in your Bible or you can Click Here to read them online. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=I%20Kings%2019-20&version=9

Today's Message: Still Small Voice
God's will for us is not usually revealed in the flurry of our busy lives, but in still small voice of His Word.

Because of Ahab's wickedness, God withheld rain from all of Israel for three years. Then He told Elijah to go to Ahab and he challenged the king to assemble all the prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel, it was there that he proved the God of Israel is the One True God. Elijah probably expected the miracle on Mt. Carmel to turn the nation from idols and bring national repentance. However, it didn't.

Our hero may have expected that his victory would have put the fear of God in the idolatrous queen, prepare her to listen with respect to his message, and encourage the king to bring about true worship of the One True God, but the opposite happened. The Satanic nature of Jezebel the ungodly idol enthusiast was aroused, and she swore revenge for the slaughter of her priests and demanded that the prophet be put to death. "And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time. And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there." (I Kings 19:1-3). We can be sure that right after we see victory we will see opposition from the enemy. They will stop at nothing to try and bring us down to their level.

In fear of Jezebel's threat to kill him, Elijah, in his hour of deep disappointment, fled south beyond the border of his country into the desert and cried out to God, he felt as though he failed and needed to be punished for it. "But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers." (19:4). God did not answer his prayer for death, but gave him rest and food. He did not rebuke, punish, or condemn him for his disappointment, but instead gave him strength to continue forward in his mission.

The prophet discovered the true greatness of his God given success on Mt. Carmel.
"And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice." (19:11-12). The most demonstrative symbols of God's power, storm, earthquake, and fire, passed before him, but what was more powerful was the still small voice that he heard. Nothing is more powerful then that still small voice of God telling you that everything is going to be alright, especially in the midst of a storm.

All Christians have lonely hours, days of disappointment, and moments of hopelessness, times when their highest feelings have been misunderstood and purest motives met with doubt and ridicule. God permits days when heavy burdens press hard upon our hearts and we feel as though we are failures. It is during these times that He will speak to us in that still small voice and give us peace, comfort, and the strength to move forward.

Today's Psalm: 46:10
"Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth."

Today's Prayer:
Dear God,
The day to day circumstances in our lives are so uncertain. The solutions to our problems can be very perplexing and seem beyond our grasp. You don't expect us to have all the right answers or to fully understand all that concerns us, but You do want us to trust You, as we hold on to Your unchanging hand. We have trusted You over and over throughout the circumstances of our lives, and today we pray for grace to trust You even more. In Jesus' Name.........Amen.

Have a wonderful and blessed day/night.
God Bless,
Christina

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