"Thou shalt not be afraid. . . Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation."
  • Welcome!
  • Wells of Strength
  • Quiet Meditations
  • A Sure Foundation of Hope
  • Resources
  • Helpful Links

Elijah: Why am I All Alone in my Stand for God? part 2

11/29/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
Discouragement and Fear

            Elijah was unaware of this, but life was about to change.  Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and that he had put all the prophets of Baal to death with the sword.  Jezebel was furious.  She “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.” (19:2)  Elijah’s happy world came crashing down upon him.  All his excited hopes that the nation was now on the path to return to God were dashed, and he got up and fled for his life.

            When Elijah got to Beersheba, he left his servant there and then went a day’s journey into the wilderness and sat down under a juniper tree.  He was done; he was giving up. “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.” (19:4b)  Then he lay down and slept and waited for death to come.

            As Elijah slept, an angel came and “touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again.” (19:5,6)  Elijah was physically exhausted.  This seemed to magnify the turmoil in his mind.  The Lord knew this and allowed Elijah to eat, drink, and rest before dealing with his spiritual problems.

            After Elijah slept a while longer, “the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.” (19:7)  Now that Elijah had rested a while, God had something else for him to do.  Elijah was depressed and wanted to quit, but God would not allow him to quit at this time.  Rather, God was going to take Elijah on a journey so He could teach him some special things.

            The food Elijah ate came form the angel of the LORD, or from God Himself, and it was very good food.  It would give him strength for many days.  Verses eight and nine say, “8And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God. 9And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there.”

            Elijah went forty more days into the wilderness, up to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God.  But he did not go talk to God.  He found a cave and set up his lodging there.  Even after God’s special care for him, Elijah was still upset.  Perhaps he thought he could just hide away in this cave and die.  He had tried the desert, but God sent him food and water.  Now he was “hiding” in a cave.  The only problem was that he was “hiding” in the mountain of God.

            It was not long after he was settled in that “the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?” (19:9b)  Elijah’s depression had lasted more than forty days.  God had given him special food and drink and special strength.  Now God was going to take care of Elijah’s spiritual needs.  He went to talk to Elijah, “Elijah, what are you doing here?”  Why was he hiding in a cave and just sitting around waiting to die?

            Elijah answered, “I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” (19:10) 

            Elijah had been obedient; he had willingly served the Lord.  He stood alone against 850 prophets of Baal.  When the pressure was on after the victory on Mt. Carmel, no one stood with him.  Elijah set his focus on these things, and he began to feel very alone.  He had forgotten about Obadiah, the governor of Ahab’s house, who had risked his life to hide one hundred prophets of God and feed them bread and water.  Why were those prophets hiding?  Jezebel wanted to kill them.  Here was Jezebel, the king’s wife, trying to destroy the prophets of God; and all the while God was making sure these prophets were nourished with food and water from the king’s own house.  Elijah had forgotten that he had at least one hundred and one friends, one hundred of whom were hiding for the same reason he was hiding.

            When God asked Elijah why he was in a cave on Mt. Horeb, Elijah poured out his complaint to God.  He did not use the word “why,” but the “why” was there.  It as if her were saying, “I was faithful to You.  I obeyed You.  I stood alone for You.  Why has all this happened to me?  I spoke for you.  What happened?  Did people listen to You and follow You?  No. They all left when the going got tough.  Is this the reward I get for serving You?  Everyone leaves me; and now I am alone, and they are trying to kill me!”

            It seems that Elijah was angry as well as afraid.  He was not asking the same kind of question “Why?” that Job had asked.  Elijah had a bad attitude.  However, he did one thing right.  He poured out his heart to God and told him what was on his heart.

              What was God’s response?  Was he angry with Elijah for his bad attitude?  Did he chide Elijah for his lack of faith?  Did He say, “If that is how you feel, Elijah, you might as well go ahead and quit.  I have no place for deserters in My work?”  No.  God looked upon Elijah in pity as a father looks upon his children.  He remembered that Elijah was but dust.  Dust is frail and is easily blown around by the wind.  It has no strength of its own.  It is useless without some other power.  (See Psalm 103:13,14)

            We are like dust.  We have no strength of our own.  God made us and gives us life and breath and health each day.  Our strength comes from Him.  Without God we are useless, for without Him we can do nothing.  (See John 15:5)  God knows our frame.  He remembers that we are dust and has compassion on us.

            The way God dealt with Elijah reveals the vastness of God’s love and mercy.  In great tenderness, He showed Himself to Elijah and helped to turn Elijah’s focus off himself and his troubles and back onto God.

            “11And 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: 12And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. 13And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?” (I Kings 19:11-13)

0 Comments

We Know Who Holds Us

11/27/2012

0 Comments

 
    We may not know what tomorrow holds, but we know Who holds us as we face tomorrow.  “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” (Deuteronomy 33:27)

0 Comments

Thanksgiving

11/20/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
             “Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.” (Psalm 106:1)

             God is good and full of mercy.  His mercy endures forever.  We should then give thanks to God and praise Him too.  To praise someone is to honor and extol him.  Praise to God includes worship, thanks, and admiration.  Praise brings God glory.   Let us take a look at some reasons why it is good to praise the Lord.

I. It is pleasant and comely.

Psalm 147:1 says, “Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.” 

Praise can take different forms.  This verse mentions praising God in song.  Good music is comely, and praise creates a pleasant atmosphere.  God likes it, and it makes us feel happy too.

Praise is comely.  It is lovely.  It looks good on the child of God.  When people look at us, they should not see us as complaining and unhappy.  Praising God helps us feel pleasant, and it helps change our countenance so we look pleasant as well.  Praise helps us look good inside and out.

II. It is an attitude of the heart

Philippians 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”

A Christian should always have a heart full of joy.  Sometimes life seems so full of trials - sickness, financial burdens, death of loved ones, and other types of stress.  Because these trials affect every part of our lives, it is easy to focus on them.  However, when we focus on our situation, we tend to become more stressed and discouraged.

Rejoicing is a good thing, but how do we do it?  We cannot simply decide one day, “I will rejoice because that is what God tells me to do.”  No.  We must think, Why do I not feel like rejoicing?  Because my mind is focused on the cares of the day.  The first thing I must do is give my cares to Jesus.  I cannot fix my cares, but Jesus can, so I will give them to Him.  I Peter 5:7 says, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

Now that our heart is empty of cares, we must fill it with things that will help us bring praise to God.  If we do not fill our heart with praiseworthy things, the cares will come back and fill it up again.  When God commands, “Rejoice in the Lord alway,” He also gives us many reasons to rejoice.  Here are some of the good things God gave us to help fill our hearts with joy.

1.  Our names are written in the book of life - Philippians 4:3

2.  The Lord is at hand, He is nearby - verse 5

3.  God hears our prayers - verse 6

4.  When we make our supplications to God with thanksgiving, He promises to fill us with peace and keep our hearts and minds stayed on Jesus - verses 6,7

5.  God is with us - verse 9

III. It results in an attitude of contentment

Paul learned Christ, and he learned to fill his mind with thoughts that were virtuous and praiseworthy (See Philippians 4:8)  Therefore, he knew how to abound and be full or how to be hungry and suffer need.  He was able to be content in any situation.  He did not do this by himself, but depended on Jesus’ strength.  Paul’s testimony was, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:13)

Let us pray that God will help us so that this can be our testimony too.  We cannot fill our hearts with joy and praise on our own, but we can present our empty hearts to God.  He will fill them full and overflowing.





0 Comments

Elijah - Why am I all Alone in my Stand for God, part 1

11/14/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture

Victory on Mount Carmel


            In I Kings 17, Elijah went to Ahab to tell him there was going to be a big drought.  There would be neither dew nor rain for three years.


            God sent Elijah to the brook Cherith where he stayed and was fed by ravens until the brook dried up.  After that, God sent Elijah to the widow of Zarephath.  There God miraculously provided for this widow, and she fed Elijah many days until the Lord sent rain again upon the earth.


            When the three years were ended, God sent Elijah to go tell Ahab that it was going to rain.  On the way there, Elijah met Obadiah, the governor of Ahab’s house.  I Kings 18 explains that Obadiah feared God greatly.  He had taken one hundred of the Lord’s prophets and hid them by fifty in a cave.  There he fed them bread and water.  Obadiah did this at the risk of his own life.  Most likely the food and water he used to feed these prophets came from the king’s store.  One does not lightly go into the storehouse of the king and take the king’s substance to feed the king’s enemies.  Obadiah was a courageous man.


            When Elijah met Obadiah, he asked him to go tell the king, “Behold, Elijah is here.”  Obadiah was terrified!  He knew that if he did this, and Elijah went and hid himself before Ahab came back to him, that Obadiah would be put to death.  Nevertheless, he did as Elijah told him to do, once more risking his life to do the Lord’s work.  Ahab went out to meet Elijah, and Elijah told him to go gather all Israel and all the prophets of Baal and bring them together to Mount Carmel.  Ahab went and did so.


            There were 850 prophets of Baal.  These all met together and selected a bullock for themselves and cut it in pieces and laid it on the altar with no fire under it.  All morning long they called upon Baal, “O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.” (18:26)


            When their was no answer, Elijah began to mock them, saying, “Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.” (18:27)


            So, they did as Elijah said, “28And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.  29And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.” (18:28,29)


            Then Elijah called the people to come near to him.  He repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down and took twelve stones and “built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. 33And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. 34And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. 35And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. 

            “36And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. 37Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.

            “38Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

            “39And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God. 40And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.” (See verses 30 - 40) 

 
           What a victory!  Elijah was so excited when the Lord showed the people that He alone was God.  The people then confessed, “The LORD, he is the God;” and they caught the 850 prophets of Baal and brought them to Elijah.  He took all the prophets to the brook Kishon and put them to death.


            After this, Elijah sent Ahab home, telling him, “Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.” (18:41)  So, Ahab got himself up to eat and drink while Elijah prayed.  God heard the prayer of Elijah, and soon “the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain.”


             At Elijah’s word, Ahab prepared his chariot and raced home as fast as possible to Jezreel.  “And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.” (18:46)


            God had done another mighty miracle, and He had given Elijah supernatural strength.  It must have seemed as if everything were going great.  The people had declared that the LORD was God, the prophets of Baal were dead, and now it was raining.  Life was good!



0 Comments

David: Why Did I Lose the Love of my Son and of my People?

11/6/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
            I would like to take a little rabbit trail for a while and then return to Job later.  The next several posts will look more into the question "Why?"  Many times we have heard that we should not ask “Why?”.  We should just trust God because He knows what is best for us.  But does God really mind if we ask “Why”?  What does the Bible say?  Over the next few weeks, we will take a look at five more Bible characters who asked the question "Why?" and God's response to those who asked it.  Here is a look at David and his questions "Why?".

             David: Why did I lose the love of my son and the love of the people of my kingdom?

             The book of Psalms contains many instances in which David asked “Why?”.  Psalm three tells one of those stories.  Verses one and two of this Psalm say, “LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me. 2Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.”

            The word “why” is not used here, but the question is still asked.  David wrote this Psalm when he fled from his son Absalom.  Absalom turned the hearts of many in Israel away from his father and toward himself.  The Bible says, “Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.” (II Samuel 15:6)

            Through his wiles, Absalom turned the love and admiration of Israel away from his father and toward himself.  He took respect and loyalty that did not belong to him.  Later, Absalom attempted to take the throne and the kingdom as well.  As a result, David and all those who were loyal to him had to flee for their lives. (See II Samuel 15:10-23)  There was much sorrow and weeping.

            David wondered, How did this happen?  Why did my own son turn against me?  Why do the people of my kingdom, whom I love, hate me?  How did it come to be that there are so many that want to destroy me.  They mock me, saying, “No one can help him now.  Even God will not help him.”

            Yet, God did help him.  Even though David was discouraged and sad and did not understand why all these things were happening, he knew he had a refuge in God.  “3But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.  4I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.” (Psalm 3:3,4)  David had a place of safety in God.  Though he had been put to shame before his people, he had confidence before God.  God was His glory, and God lifted up his head.  He was not ashamed before God.  He had prayed, and He knew God would answer.

            David said, “5I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me. 6I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about… 8Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.” (Psalm 3:5,6 and 8)

             David asked “Why?”, but he was not angry or bitter against God.  David did not understand why all this had come upon him, but he still trusted in God.  Although he was afraid and confused, he clung to God, for his confidence was in the Lord God.

0 Comments
    Picture
    About the Author

    Hello!  My name is Connie, and I live in North Carolina.  The Lord has blessed me with wonderful parents, a wonderful sister, and a great church family .  The past two years have been difficult in many ways, but God has been with me all the way.  

    Much praise goes to the Lord for His guidance and wisdom in starting this website.  I would also like to express my thanks to Valerie who has joyfully and willingly given of her time to help design this website and do much of the technical work.  She and her family are faithful servants to the Lord.  They also have gone through many trials in the past few years, but they have allowed God to use these trials to make them sweeter and more like His Son Jesus Christ.

    Email the Author

    Rights:
    All articles, images, and materials on www.myrefuge.weebly.com are copyright 2012 The Hiding Place and are the exclusive property of Connie Young (unless otherwise indicated).  All rights reserved.

    Any articles, images, and materials on this site may be used for personal and/or ministry use with proper credits to the rightful owner.  They may not be used in any other manner without prior written permission of Connie Young.


    statementoffaith.pdf
    File Size: 29 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File

    Contact the Author
    TAP Bibles
    TAP Bibles youtube videos
    BBN radio

    Pacific Garden Mission

    The Chieftan

    Door of Hope for Teens

    People to Pray for

    Abigail Rose

    Alex and Lauren


    Allison Workman


    Ashley


    Ava Brooke Campbell


    Baylee

    Brianna


    Calvin

    Daisy

    Estela R.

    Hannah Humphris

    Isaiah

    Jacob Murphy

    Liam

    Lucy

    Matthew

    Melanie

    Melinda Coffey

    Mendy Brockman

    Noah

    Terra Michelle Alman

    Valerie Workman

    Vinny

    Sammy


    Shawny

    Archives

    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012

    Categories

    All
    Death
    Depression
    Depression And Suicide
    Faith
    First Post
    Forgiveness
    God's Love
    Heartache
    Hope
    Job
    KatysDevos
    Knowing God More
    Loneliness
    Other
    Passages To Ponder
    Poems
    Quotes
    Safety And Protection
    Salvation
    Sidebar Prayer List
    Songs From Youtube
    Strength And Weakness
    Verse Photos
    Why

    RSS Feed