“Now Ahab told Jezebel everything that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more so, if by about this time tomorrow I do not make your life like the life of one of them. “And he was afraid and got up and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah; and he left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree; and he asked for himself to die, and said, “Enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” Then he lay down and fell asleep under a broom tree; but behold, there was an angel touching him, and he said to him, “Arise, eat!” And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a round loaf of bread baked on hot coals, and a pitcher of water. So, he ate and drank and lay down again. But the angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him, and said, “Arise, eat; because the journey is too long for you.” So, he arose and ate and drank, and he journeyed in the strength of that food for forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.” I Kings 19:1-7 NASB)
I will not keep you as long as in Part I, but I will keep my word and give you Part II of “You Are Not The Only One!” As a matter of fact, I will just point out four things to help you and me when we are not feeling in our right mind.
Point I: Contrary to those who tell us, “Just get over it,” know that getting back in our right mind is not always an immediate, instantaneous thing, although it should not be an intentionally, increasingly, prolonged thing either. We must put the pity aside, throw away our fear, show resilience against rejection, stop sleeping so much, and look in the word of God where we can find a message from the Lord, and see He will feed us. P, S. He may send an “angel,” a messenger with some instructions. Hear ye him!
Point II: If after being fed the first time does not fix our internal problem, we must eat again from the word of God. We must eat until we are filled, for the road that moves us from down to up will come in time. I say “in time” because sometimes it may be a long journey. Eventually, we will see our strength renewed.
Point III: Like Elijah kept moving to the mountain of God, for you and me this means continue to move upward to the throne of our gracious God. Keep moving both night and day, in order that we can get closer to our God.
Point IV: Realize, after reading the closing verses, that there are other saints like you. You see, we are not the only ones that have to deal with opposition and often faced challenges that try to deny our self-worth and self-esteem. Therefore, lay aside isolation from the church, and regularly interact with other faithful people, faithful people and not faithless people.
There you have it, four quick points to help us when we are not feeling in our right mind. Wake up! Get up! Go to the word and start on your way to a state of mind that one old saint used to call “Better!” Our prayer today: “Make me better Lord!” Say it! Be blessed!
“Yet I (God) reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.” (I Kings 19:18 NIV)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King