“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. Then he came there to a cave and spent the night there; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’And he said, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of armies; for the sons of Israel have abandoned Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they have sought to take my life.’ So He said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord.’ And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and powerful wind was tearing out the mountains and breaking the rocks in pieces before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind there was 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 sound of a gentle blowing. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah? ’Then he said, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of armies; for the sons of Israel have abandoned Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they have sought to take my life.’ The Lord said to him, ‘Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram. You shall also anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. And it shall come about that the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death.Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.’” (I Kings 19:1-18 NASB)
Today’s scripture passage was long, but it will benefit you for a long time on your Christian journey. During this life we will be tempted to give up on something; some situation, some relationship, some circumstance, some progress, some change, some promotion, and even some of our assignments as given by the Lord. You may think you will never have joy again. Let me equip you.
A couple of days ago, I heard a song on the radio that included words that account for the title above. I wondered if I could find some biblical support for that saying. The passage above came to my mind. Elijah, shortly after defeating the prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel, had ran away, fearful, and in his words, he had “enough.” But God steps in and, as you saw in the passage above, and He lets Elijah know, summarizing God’s words, “It ain’t over until I say it’s over.” Dear friend, if you ever feel like you have had enough, done enough, waited long enough, please revisit this passage and the song lyrics, and let God speak specifically to you, saying, “It ain’t over until I say it’s over.”
At the risk of losing your attention, I need to share something else with you. When they buried Jesus in a borrowed tomb, they thought it was over. But we know now, “It ain’t over until God says it’s over.” God raise Him from the dead. On top of that, when you know Jesus as your Savior, you will have eternal life. That’s the ultimate validation of the words, “It ain’t over until I say it’s over.” Be blessed!
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King
Because I know that God is in control and nothing is over until He says it’s over. That is the reason I can keep going.
Keep pressing upward toward the mark! Thanks for staying committed to the climb! Not over! Amen! Be blessed!