A Work in Progress….

1 Kings 19:3-4 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life….He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD….Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 
On the heels of such a powerful display of faith in 1 Kings 18, Elijah is now in crisis. Queen Jezebel has threatened to kill him within 24 hours. He feels like he is the only believer left. He’s exhausted. He’s afraid. He runs for his life and prays to die. I wish I couldn’t relate quite so powerfully to Elijah at this moment, but I’ve definitely been here. Exhausted. Stressed. Afraid. Feeling totally alone and like I have given everything but for no purpose, no gain.
1 Kings 19:5-6 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and lay down again.
How does God respond? First, He gives Elijah rest. Then, He sends His angel to give Elijah food. Then more rest and more food. And Elijah was strengthened and able to take the next steps. It reminds me of my initial response any time I get an email from a stressed student. I always say, “Take a deep breath. We’ll get this worked out.” Stress and exhaustion lead to overwhelm, which never leads anywhere good. 
1 Kings 19:7 The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.”
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. In a semester that is so incredibly stressful, thank You for the vivid reminder that if I let myself get overwhelmed, nothing good happens. Help me to breathe, to rest, to nourish my body and soul, to draw closer to You in times of stress and overwhelm especially. I know You’ve got me, Lord. Help me not to be afraid. Amen.
1 Kings 19:8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
Have a blessed day.

1 Kings 18:32 With the stones he built an alter in the name of the LORD, and he dug a trench around it….
It would be easy to marvel at the faith of Elijah in this chapter—that he had the faith to call on God in this way, the absolute confidence that God would show up in a powerful way, is evident and astounding. But if you look back at 1 Kings 17, you will see how that faith was built. It didn’t just happen. It wasn’t a fluke. God called Elijah. Elijah heeded the call—he sought, he listened, he trusted, he obeyed, and his faith grew.
1 Kings 18:33 He arranged together wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.”
It’s also important to note that what happened in 1 Kings 18 wasn’t Elijah‘a will, it was God’s will. In verse 36, Elijah says: “LORD…let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at Your command.” He wasn’t imposing his own will and hoping God would show up. He was so in tuned with God’s will, that he knew God would show up in a big way because this was God’s plan all along.
1 Kings 18:36-37 At the time of the sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at Your command. Answer me, LORD, answer me so these people will know that You, LORD, are God, and that You are turning their hearts back again.”
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for this example of how faith and trust in You are built and how powerfully You can use us when we are acting in Your will and not our own. Continue to show me how to seek, ask, knock, listen, discern Your will, and draw closer to You. Help me to shine Your Light. Amen.
1 Kings 18:38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.
Have a blessed day.

1 Kings 17:2-4 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food.”
I believe that God directs our paths if we let Him. And I believe that He will move us, sometimes in incremental steps, to get us where He needs us to be. I fully believe that this is what we are seeing in 1 Kings 17. God needs Elijah to strengthen his faith and dependence on God so that Elijah is fully prepared for what God is calling Him to do.
1 Kings 17:5-6 So he did what the LORD had told him….The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
Step 1 is depending on God by the brook with the ravens. There is no human way to explain the ravens bringing him food, but I’m sure that the brook gave Elijah a tiny sense of control. As long as the water was flowing, he would be able to get a drink. But then God led him further on this trust journey by drying up the brook and sending him to Gentile country to a desperately poor widow for sustenance. Step-by-step, God guides him into deeper trust and faith. Step-by-step.
1 Kings 17:7-8 Then the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the LORD came to him: “Go at once to Zarephath…and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.”
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for Your presence and guidance in this life. Thank You for calling us out of our comfort zones into deeper reliance on You. Help us to hear Your voice. Help us to heed Your call. Help us to follow Your lead. Step-by-step. Draw us closer. Always. Amen.
1 Kings 17:14 “For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain on the land.’”
Have a blessed day.

1 Kings 16:7 Moreover, the word of the LORD came through the prophet Jehu…to Baasha and his house, because of all the evil he had done in the eyes of the LORD, arousing his anger by the things he did, becoming like the house of Jeroboam….
It seems that each king was worse than the one before. From what I can ascertain, the worship of idols instead of God was the biggest transgression with each king. And not only personal worship of idols but laws that led the country to worship them as well. Thank goodness we no longer have to worry about the worship of idols, right?
1 Kings 16:18-19 When Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the royal palace and set the palace on fire around him. So he died, because of the sins he had committed, doing evil in the eyes of the LORD….
Hopefully, you recognized the sarcasm in that last question. While we don’t have to deal with idol worship in the way of the ancient Israelites, in many ways, I think idol worship has become much more insidious. Anything that interrupts our relationship with our Savior can be an idol. Money, power, fame, people, pursuits, these days there is no shortage of things that can come between us and God. Where and how we spend our money and our time can give us a good idea of where our priorities are. Jesus, help me stay focused on You only.
1 Kings 16:25 But Omri did evil in the eyes of the LORD and sinned more than all those before him.
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that idols still exist today, and we need to guard our hearts and minds in You always. Draw us closer. Guard and guide us. Amen.
1 Kings 16:30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him.
Have a blessed day.

1 Kings 14:7 “Go, tell Jeroboam that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I raised you up from among the people and appointed you ruler over My people Israel.’”
This chapter is about the end of the reign of both Jeroboam in Israel and Rehoboam in Judah. Both reigns ended badly because both kings turned their back on God, forsook Him for idols. I can learn a lot about what not to do from their examples. 
1 Kings 14:8 “‘I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, but you have not been like My servant David, who kept My commands and followed Me with all his heart, doing only what was right in My eyes.’”
I am reminded of an expression I’ve seen on the internet: “May I never forget, on my best day, that I need God as desperately as I did on my worst day.” My relationship with my Savior is crucial to my life. And without it, I have no center, no focus, nothing. 
1 Kings 14:9 “‘You have done more evil than all who lived before you. You have made for yourself other gods, idols made of metal; you have aroused My anger and turned your back on Me.’”
Lord, Thank You for this day and the cautionary tales of Jeroboam and Rehoboam. They turned their backs on You and found that in the end, they had nothing because they didn’t have You. Thank You that I understand the value of our relationship. Thank You that I value the time we spend together. Thank You that You are my center. Help me always to strive to follow You with all my heart, to place our relationship above all others. Draw me closer. Amen.
1 Kings 14:22-23 Judah did evil in the eyes of the LORD. By the sins they committed they stirred up His jealous anger more than those who were before them had done. They also set up for themselves high places, sacred stones and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every spreading tree.
Have a blessed day.

1 Kings 13:1-2 By the word of the LORD a man of God came from Judah to Bethel….By the word of the LORD he cried out against the alter….
This unnamed prophet was on a mission from God. He delivered his message and declined the king’s invitation to eat because God had given him very specific instructions. Later, an old prophet lied to him saying an angel had appeared to him saying the prophet should come to his house and eat bread and drink water. The unnamed prophet’s instructions hadn’t changed, so why did his answer? His choice to accept led to his death.
1 Kings 13:8-9 But the man of God answered the king, “Even if you were to give me half your possessions, I would not go with you…For I was commanded by the word of the LORD: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.’”
When the old prophet came upon the unnamed prophet, the unnamed prophet was sitting under a tree, probably tired, probably hungry. His human fallibility was definitely closer to the surface because of these human needs. His mission hadn’t changed. His instructions hadn’t changed. But his resolve was slipping because of his humanity, so when he heard a plausible excuse, “an angel appeared to me and said…,” he took it. Jesus, help me!
1 Kings 13:18 The old prophet answered, “I too am a prophet…And an angel said to me by word of the LORD: ‘Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water’.” (But he was lying to him.)
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for those times when You clearly tell me what You would have me to do. Be with me, even in my humanity, and help me to stay strong in Your will always. Draw me closer. Amen.
1 Kings 13:19 So the man of God returned with him and ate and drank in his house.
Have a blessed day.

1 Kings 12:6 Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. “How would you advise me to answer these people?” he asked.
When I need advice, I go to those I trust and earnestly seek their counsel. On the surface, this seems to be what Rehoboam did, but the speed with which he rejects the counsel of the elders makes me wonder if he was really just going through the motions. 
1 Kings 12:8 But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him.
The biggest thing I notice in this section is who Rehoboam DOESN’T seek counsel from—God. I see no time set aside for prayer, no seeking of God’s will and God’s way. And I know that I have been just as willful, just as brash, just as guilty of being headstrong. I have barreled full speed ahead in life without taking time to seek wisdom and discernment from my Savior.
1 Kings 12:9 He asked them, “What is your advice? How should we answer these people who say to me, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for such clear pictures in this chapter of what happens when I plow ahead without seeking Your counsel. Help me, always, to spend time in Your presence and Your word. Help me, always, to seek Your wisdom and Your will. Draw me closer. Always. Amen.
1 Kings 12:13-15 The king answered the people harshly. Rejecting the advice given him by the elders, he followed the advice of the young men….
Have a blessed day.

1 Kings 11:4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.
King David was a man after God’s own heart. Prior to reading about his reign, that expression “a man after God’s own heart” brought to mind images of perfection. But I am so incredibly far from perfect. However, upon reading about David’s life and reign, I see that he was incredibly far from perfect, too, that perfection isn’t at all what being a person after God’s own heart is about. 
1 Kings 11:6 So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done.
God Himself gives a good definition of being a person after His own heart in 1 Kings 9:4 “…if you walk before Me with integrity of heart and uprightness…and do all that I command and observe My decrees and laws….” Having a heart focused on Him, striving to be honorable and honest, walking in His ways, obeying His word, this is how to be a person after His own heart. It begins with mindfulness and intention, keeping our eyes and minds and hearts on Him.
1 Kings 11:9 The LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You that You don’t demand perfection in our walk with You. Thank You that we can be people after Your own heart by staying focused on You, by striving to praise You and shine Your light. I am so far from perfect, Lord, but I strive to be a person after Your own heart. Take my fallible human efforts, and use them for my good and Your glory. Draw me closer. Amen.
1 Kings 11:11 So the LORD said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates.”
Have a blessed day.

1 Kings 10:18 Then the king made a great throne covered with ivory and overlaid with fine gold.
I have made a concerted effort in the last 5-10 years to praise God always—when life is going well AND when it isn’t. I’m not going to lie, when clinging to God is the only way to get through the day, I have no trouble remembering how desperately I need Him in my life. But when life is going well, it’s much easier to take Him for granted, to neglect to praise Him for all that is good in my life.
1 Kings 10:20 Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom.
I feel like this is what we are seeing with Solomon in this chapter. Things are good, REALLY good, for Solomon. He has riches. He has respect. He has power. He is God’s chosen king, but does he remember that God put him on that throne? Does he remember what God said to him in 1 Kings 9:4-5? Does he remember that he is to walk before God faithfully with integrity of heart and uprightness? I do not get a sense of that here.
1 Kings 10:23 King Solomon was greater in riches and wisdom than all the other kings of the earth.
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for Your presence in my life always. Help me to praise You every moment of every day, not just on those days that I know I can’t make it without You. You make my life worth living. Help me always be mindful of that truth. Draw me closer. Amen.
1 Kings 10:24 The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God put in his heart.
Have a blessed day