Drew Boswell

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“The Power of Prayer” James 5:13-18

 

“Simplify” Doing What Matters Most

 The Power of Prayer

James 5:13-19

Introduction

James concludes his writing with one last big idea. “The main thrust of this section is the power of prayer and its appropriateness in every situation of life. Prayer is encouraged in times of distress (v. 13), elation (v. 13), sickness (v. 14), and sin (v. 15-16a) and in assisting fellow Christians in striving for righteousness and spiritual health (16a).”[1]

 Prayer

My Response to Life Is to Pray and to Praise (vv. 13-15)

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

Suffering

“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray” The word suffering does not just refer to bodily illnesses, but rather it means “adversity,” “suffering hardship.” It is the stress of a strenuous circumstance that leads to an action, or a reaction. It’s when a person has experienced hardship and now they are affected by the situation. What is the first thing we do or say when hardship, stress, and adversity comes our way?

If we are the person suffering, we are told to pray, but not just one time but as an ongoing habit.[2] “Prayer is a blessing to the heart and to the mental life. It is good to talk with God and our worry disappears in the presence of the Lord.

So, what should we pray for? There are times when we are so stressed and suffering so much we don’t even know what to say, or what to pray for. Often times we want to hardship and suffering to end and we pray for the pain to stop.

Paul prayed that the “thorn of his flesh” would be removed. It wasn’t. Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane “that this cup would pass from me.” It didn’t. You can pray for it to end, but sometimes that’s the season you are in. So, here are some things that you could pray for:

  • Wisdom (James 1:5) One of the things we will see later in the text is that people are watching how you are going to respond – so we need wisdom to respond and deal with the suffering appropriately. Many a foolish word and action has been done while people are under suffering, but God has promised to give you the wise words to say, and the wise action to take, if we ask Him.
  • Endurance – stress and suffering will over time take it toll on your spirit, your body, your health, so as God for strength to endure.
  • Reading and Studying the Word of God – as you read and study it, take God’s Word and pray it back to God. When you don’t know what to say, let God give you the Words to say.[3]

Smiling

“Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise” James starts with someone being low, and then turns to someone’s mood being cheerful. How then should we respond when things are good, delightful, and over all calm? Prayer and praise are the Christian’s emotional outlet. When we are troubled, we pray; when we are cheerful, we sing. We also should avoid the temptation to pray less when things are good. If times are hard, we pray. If times are good, we pray.

Sick

“14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders[4] of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.”

If the person is sick they are to call for the elders (plural) of the church. This was already a Jewish custom for the town elders to be called in for prayer when a person was very ill. The emphasis was on the praying, (not healing) and continues the theme from the earlier verses.[5]

The same phrase for “anointing with oil” is used in the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:34 “He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.” Olive oil was thought to have medicinal properties and was used in a wide variety of ailments.

There is a lot of misunderstanding surrounding this verse. For example, Roman Catholics use this verse to support their idea of Extreme Unction – which prepares a person for death, but the intention of the text is to continue life.[6] There are no miracle healers, no matter what they say, no one can lay hands on someone and miraculously heal them. It also is not a mandate to not seek medical attention.

“Some may wonder why James does not mention calling in the doctor! That is where it is needful to keep in mind the New Testament setting of the epistle. Doctors were few in those days; their skills very limited, and they were very expensive – as the woman with the issue of blood, who had spent all her substance in consulting them, in vain, so sadly experienced (Luke 8:43).”[7] The sick Christian today calls the doctor, but James is emphasizing the power of prayer for the sick. It is both, not either or.

The spirit, the mind, and the body are one unit – all need healing, all are affected by our sin, our repentance, and our relationship with other believers.

So, while there may be lots to discuss about the anointing with oil, the basic idea is to surround yourself with leaders from your church who pray with you, when you are gravely ill.

So, the question then is why elders verses any other Christian? Why the pastors, verses people from your Sunday School class? This text is not easy to interpret, so I am going to give you my interpretation. This book was written to the persecuted church, who had been scattered – people had to leave their ancestorial homes, reestablish homes, businesses, and create new lives – while also having to live with the reality that as soon as you do this, you may have to do it again. They were beaten, many were slaves, and they still are living under persecution.

This person who is gravely ill could be sick from all this stress, perhaps abuse from persecution, and they may even be asking, “why is this happening to me?” What have I done to deserve this illness?”[8]

What they need are people to say, “The Lord is with us, You made the right decision by following Christ,” to appropriately rub their wounds with care and concern, and to share Scripture with them, pray with them as they are working out this horrible time in their life.

Jesus in his healing ministry often touched those who were sick. “He touched the hand of Peter’s wife’s mother, and the fever left her (Matt. 8:15); when two blind men called upon Him to have mercy on them, He asked, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” and on their reply, “Yes, Lord” He touched their eyes saying, “according to your faith, be healed,” (Matt. 9:29). He touched the tongue of a deaf-mute (Mark 7:33); He touched the ear of Malchus (Luke 22:51); He touched the leper and made him clean (Luke 15:13); In none of these cases did Jesus need to touch them, He could have done this with a word.”[9]

The sin here may be related to how he has reacted to the stress of the persecution the church is experiencing. They may have lost their temper, grumbled against another church member, got in a fight, who knows what the sin may have been, but they need help in navigating back to God and seeking forgiveness. (which in many ways brings a different kind of healing).

But the result of the elders prayers is two-fold, “(1) the sick person is made well (sozo)’ and (2) the Lord will raise him up (egeiro).”[10]

God’s Response to Our Prayers (vv. 16-18)

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

Whenever we see the word, “therefore” what follows is tied to what came before this word. We are to pray when are suffering, sing when we are cheerful, surround ourselves with fellow Christians when we are ill who are praying for us, therefore –

In order to confess our sins to one another there has to be a high level of trust and love.

Matthew 5:23-24 “So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

The power of a righteous person is focused here on interaction with other people. A righteous person is asking forgiveness for sins (from others publicly that they have wronged), they are praying for the sick, for other believers, and a great amount of effort is going into praying.

“The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” This means that the righteous person is able to do, or is enabled to do (by the Holy Spirit) – their prayer has a powerful effect. “Such a prayer can have noticeable consequences on a person whose sickness is the result of sin, as long as (or especially if) the sin has been confessed.”[11]

In the original language of James it reads, “prayer to pray” “The Scottish Covenanters used to speak of “gaining access,” – There is a difference between just saying a prayer, and in our praying really to pray: to know that we are not only communing with God, but are constrained to express in prayer the yearnings of the heart of God Himself. That is the “effectual fervent prayer.”

James then gives the example of Elijah, 1 Kings 18:42-45 “And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees. 43 And he said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” And he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go again,” seven times. 44 And at the seventh time he said, “Behold, a little cloud like a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you.’” 45 And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain.”[12]

He had his weaknesses, as all humans do, but God heard the prayers of Elijah. James is emphasizing Elijah’s effort in prayer, that is why God sent the rain when he asked.

“with a nature like ours” The same man who is mentioned in 1 Kings 18, (a righteous man of prayer) is also the same man in 1 Kings 19 – who runs scared for his life from Jezebel.

He is emphasizing that what Elijah did was not “a magical performance of a superhuman being but the act of man in all regards exactly like ourselves, who simply used prayer as we can likewise use.”[13] Elijah dared to take God at his word.[14]

Elijah’s prayers “resulted in the refreshing rain coming down to the earth, so the prayer of the righteous believer can result in the refreshing and healing of a Christian afflicted by sickness caused by sin.”[15]

Our Response to the Wandering Sinner (v. 19)

19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

The very last verse of the book of James deals with a brother in Christ who has wandered from the “truth.” They have believed the lie of the world and have been enticed away. The Greek word for wanders has the “picture of one who is lost in the mountains, who has missed his path. . .”[16]

1 Peter 4:8 “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

This last verse speaks of going after someone who has gone astray because you love them (not in judgement, or spite, or to show them that you are right), but simply acknowledging that they are headed into a dangerous area, and you love them enough to pursue them.

The verse is not saying to accept the person’s sin and flaws, but when the person repents the love for them is going to give you ability to see past their previous mistakes. Proverbs 24:24-25 “Whoever says to the wicked, “You are in the right,” will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations, 25 but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, and a good blessing will come upon them.”

The church is not a country club, a fraternity or sorority, or Kiwanis – membership is open to all based on one condition, and it is one that everyone who calls themselves a Christian must hold to, repentance. All of us have sinned and fallen short, and we all must repent and turn to the forgiveness of Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:18 “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” Our collective ministry is to go after the wandering world and reconcile them back to God. In the instances of Jesus’ healing mentioned earlier, Jesus was going to them, or passed by them as “he was going.” Jesus took the initiative, we must take the initiative.

Also, there is no incentive to go after a wandering brother for you, the benefit is that the person may return. Love for someone else is the sole motivation, and this comes from our being aligned with the purpose and calling of Christ. James says, “will save his soul from death”

 This life is filled with pain and suffering, and many times it is the result/consequence of our sin. When we reconcile a sinner back to the Lord, we are saving them from this eventual pain and suffering.

“James presents the joy of the winner of souls who throws the mantle of love over the sins of the repentant sinner, the joy of the Shepherd who has found the lost sheep out on the mountain and is returning with him in his arms, the joy of the Father who welcomes the prodigal boy home with the best robe and the fatted calf, the joy of the presence of the angels that one sinner has repented and turned unto God.”[17]

The end result of the wanderer being restored to the Lord, and that he is not remembered, not branded, as the person who sinned and wandered away, the sin is remembered no more.

________________________

[1] Clifton Allen, Gen. Ed., The Broadman Bible Commentary, Volume 12 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Publishing, 1973) 136.

[2] Pray is given as a present tense of durative action. Robertson, 186.

[3] Lehman Strauss, James, Your Brother (Neptune, New Jersey; Loizeaux Brothers, 1980) 208.

[4] “The expression “elder” designates persons entrusted with leadership and teaching in the church (Acts 11:30; 14:23; 15:2; 16:4; 20:17; 21:28; 1 Tim. 5:17-19; Titus 1:5; 1 Peter 5:1,2; 2 John 1).” Pheme Perkins, Interpretation A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, First and Second Peter, James, and Jude (Louisville, Kentucky; John Knox Press, 1982) 136.

[5] Allen, 137.

[6] Ibid, 138.

[7] Herbert F. Stevenson, James Speaks For Today (Westwood, New Jersey; Fleming H. Revell Company, 1966) 95.

[8] Peter H. Davids, New International Biblical Commentary, James (Peabody, Massachusetts; Hendrickson Publishing, 1989) 122.

[9] Stevenson, 96.

[10] David P. Nystrom, The NIV Application Commentary, James (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing House, 1997) 307.

[11] Nystrom, 307.

[12] Elijah’s prayer was for God’s people to turn back to Him, and he did this by praying for a drought. God’s people would suffer during this time. It is given as an example and is linked to other Christians who are praying for other sick or wayward believers. Therefore, one may pray for hardship to come upon someone in order to get them to turn back to God.

[13] George Arthur Buttrick, The Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 12 (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1957) 72.

[14] Strauss, 222.

[15] Nystron, 308.

[16] Allen, 196.

[17] Allen, 199.

Pastors and Numbers — What Makes a Christian Leader a “Success?”

Preachers and “Numbers” have had a long sordid history. There are those who when they first discover that you are a “minister” or “pastor” they immediately ask, “so how many are you running?” (i.e. how many do you have in attendance on a typical Sunday morning). In their minds they are evaluating your worth, your faithfulness, your talent, everything about you by the number that comes out of your mouth to answer their question.

Ask yourself, “Who is invited to preach at seminary campuses, various seminars, or large churches?” Is it not those who have experienced explosive growth, those that pastor large churches, or have released a book or some resource that has sold a bizillion of copies? These people are “successful” and if you are to be “successful” in ministry then you should emulate them. At pastor’s lunches or gatherings, when we are all alone with our own, we look over the group and measure our worth and judge our order amongst ourselves. We are a cruel and heartless bunch, we pastors.

Over the years, when my church or ministry was growing I felt successful, and when it decreased I would feel like a failure. I would pour in the hours, sacrifice financially, and try to do whatever it took to change things. The rise and fall of churches is crushing and exhausting to leaders. Leaders and pastors typically don’t know how to balance their feelings of success or failure with the circumstances around them. They struggle with depression because of the events that transpire around them.

On the other side of the discussion are those who for various reasons don’t grow, don’t attract very many, or don’t do much to reach people for Christ. These are the people who say, “it’s not about numbers, it’s about being biblical.” As if “being biblical” is a reason to not change how they operate or think in order to reach out and see people won for Christ. They use this straw man argument to do little for the Lord, to remain inside of a cocoon away from “worldy” people and their influence upon their family.

Everything the Christian does is to be done for the glory of the Lord, but in order to give Him glory we must be obedient. If we are to be obedient and to be a follower of Christ, then we must do what He did. We are commanded to “go and make disciples.” Therefore, growth, new spiritual birth, disciple making, reaching out, etc. . . are important if not required to be true to Christ.

Our value is not based on what we do, but on whose we are. Our privilege and honor is that we get to be apart of the plan of redemption of mankind.  If we are to be apart of His work, there is eternal value in every act. But even as I write these words I am thinking, “that’s what people who don’t see growth, or whose work isn’t seeing any disciples being made say.” That’s what losers say.

We are not called to be “successful” we are called to be “faithful.” But how do you balance what you know Scripture says with what the world (especially the church) says is the measure of success?

There are times when God does a mighty work amongst us, or even with us, and we feel awesome, only to shortly thereafter face a difficulty and find ourselves an emotional mess.  There is a great example of this roller coaster of emotion in 1 Kings 19.

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Elijah and the Broom Tree

So How Should I Deal With the Roller Coaster of Ministry Emotions?

I.   Ask “Why Am I Running Away?” (vv. 1-9a)

1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” 3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. 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.” 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. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.

When we look at Elijah in this passage we find him wanting to sleep, hide, get away, and die.  He fears for his life, he has had enough.  But how did Elijah get to this point? He had not eaten,  his focus has changed from eternal to temporal,  he was physically exhausted,  he was alone (he left his servant behind),  he was being introspective and self-pitting (“I am no better than my ancestors”), he is living and running in fear.

How does God respond? He sent him someone (something) to take care of his needs.  Elijah needed to eat, so an angel prepared a meal and encouraged him to eat (twice).  God gave Elijah what he needed to continue, God gave Elijah what he needed to get up, shake of the dust and walk on.  God provided for Elijah in a way similar to his past.   Ravens miraculously fed him when he was by the stream; here an angel miraculously feeds him in the desert.  The Lord ministers to him now, just as he did in the past.  God will provide for you, and give you what you need to make it in ministry.

God also recognizes that “the journey is too much for you.”  Notice that God does not say, “The journey was too much for you.” Elijah has more work to do; his work would go on and on, and on.

Because God gave the apostle Paul great visions, and used him in such a special way, he gave Paul what is described as a “thorn in the flesh” and when Paul asks God to take it away, 2 Corinthians 12:9 “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” God knows that the journey is too much for us to handle alone, so he gives us his grace, and it is sufficient.

II.        Stop Running and Watch (vv. 9b-13)

And the word of the LORD came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” 11 The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. 

Then God speaks to Elijah.  He asks him a question, “What are you doing here?”  God did not tell Elijah to run away.  Elijah has just called down fire from heaven, he has slain 450 prophets of Baal.   The people had cried out, “The LORD – he is God!”  He won the battle single handedly – he won the day. What happened? I believe that Elijah as he stood on Mt. Carmel and saw the fire fall, in his mind thought that that was it – Baalism was beaten, it was over.  After all these years of ministry the war was finally over. He could rest, go home, be at peace.

But now Jezebel is coming after him.  Another battle, another enemy, another battle, another enemy, another day, on and on, and on – the battle never ends, there is no apparent end to Elijah’s fighting. Sometimes when we are on those spiritual mountains we expect to stay there – but ministry has ebb and flow, ups and downs, years of plenty and years of famine. Families still fall apart, children still go wayward, cancer still rips people apart, death still robs families of loved ones, on and on the battle goes.

God asks Elijah, “What are you doing here?”  Elijah responds by saying, “Lord don’t you see what’s going on here – I have lost!”  The people reject your word, they don’t worship you, they kill your prophets, and now I’m the only one left. They won’t listen, they won’t change!” – I have failed.  God responds to Elijah by saying, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.”  God has proven to be God to the people of Israel, and He has proven that he is God to the prophets of Baal – but here he has to show that He is God to His own prophet. Sometimes we think it’s all about us, and what we can do, what we can see, what we understand, what we know, etc.… It is not about what we can do – It’s all about the God that we serve.  The God we serve spoke and worlds came into existence, at His word the ground became flesh, at his breath Adam breathed his first breath.  It is in his thoughts that all the created order is held together.

He knows how many hairs are on your head, and he knows the darkest part of your heart.  His knowledge is eternal, He has always existed in eternal past, He lives today, and will live forever more.  God alone bore the weight of the cross, He alone loves with a love that endures forever.  When this God passes by our lives – everything changes.

The God we serve leads us out of slavery, pays our ransom and redeems us.  He alone can break the chains of sin.  The Creator controls His creation.  “Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire.

 

God controls the wind, the earth, the fire – he is not in these things, He is above them.  Can Jezebel cause earthquakes, knock down mountains with a wind? Can she consume with fire?  No – But the God whom she will have to an account can.  Who is more powerful, God or Jezebel?

It says that God was not in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire – God performed even more mighty miracles before Elijah, but God was not in the miracles. He “came in a gentle whisper.” It was God’s gentle whisper into Elijah’s heart that ministered to him, not the powerful displays.  God does not always use the miraculous to deliver him from his problems.  God could wipe out all enemies before Him, but he may also use as whisper into the heart of his servant to show His power.  In this moment of crisis in Elijah’s life – it is only the word of the Lord that allows him to mend and regain strength.

What we may really need is not for a mountain to be moved, we may just need to hear the whisper of the Lord saying, “my precious child, I love you, I know what you are going through, and I’ve got your back. Now keep going.”   “But don’t you see my marriage, my child, my life – I’ve got it, I’m strong enough to handle it.”

We want to move from miracle to miracle, from mountaintop to mountaintop until we become miracle junkies.  If we go to a worship service, we want to fire to fall, and the praise band to rock, and the preacher to sweat – we want it loud, and we say, “make me feel something, let me see God do something.”  But God says, no I want you to listen, (softer) I want you to listen, let me just talk to your heart.  I want you to lean in and listen and know that I am God.

III.       Stop Watching and Run Again for God (vv. 13b-18)

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” 15 The LORD said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.”

God asks Elijah the same question, and Elijah gives the same response.  Perhaps his thinking is that because he is in a cave, maybe God didn’t hear him.  God’s display and passing by his life doesn’t seem to change Elijah’s view of his life situation.  God gives a different response – “Go”  (do your job). He gives him a specific task.

Anoint men of God – spread the load, it’s not all about you.  It’s not all about you being faithful, it’s not all about just you doing ministry, I have a plan that is far larger than you.

“But I’m Elijah” – it will only be successful if I do it.  No, God is bigger than you, and he has a lot more going on than just you.

Anoint a successor – God wants Elijah to take another man who has been called out and invest in his future.  In Elijah’s life time there will be no “death blow” to evil, the fight will continue on.  So he must have someone who has been prepared to take his place when he dies.

There are 7,000 who have been faithful. – In other words, you don’t know everything.  Elijah says, “I’m the only one, I’m the last one left.”  God says, “oh really, you who know everything – did you know about the 7,000 others?”  “Elijah, just because you can’t see other faithful believers, doesn’t mean that they aren’t there.”  Man or woman of God just because you can’t see all the pieces to life’s puzzle, doesn’t mean they don’t exist. You only know today’s chapter, but only God knows what the next chapter of your life holds. It may be high tide, it may be low tide – but God expects us to remain faithful and to keep going.

One of the ways that God brings our spirits up is to push us to continue to “go.”  Go into the future with the foundation of what God has done in the past. God has fed him the past and has fed him now.  God has spoken to him in the past, and now has spoken to him now – the fact that he asks him the same question may be that God is asking him what he desires to do in the future.

The situation stays the same.  The evilness against him and all around him stays the same.  And the God whom he served has always remained the same – it is Elijah’s view of his God that needs to change.  It is only how he perceives God that will bring him out of the pit of depression.  

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 What Does Success Mean for You?  

Numbers are valuable because they represent people, but our value is not based on these numbers.  God is the one at work, He is the one doing the work – we are simply blessed to be along for the ride. Some men of God are used in crystal cathedrals, others only see a handful won for the Lord in a secret place in a dark and oppressive foreign land. Both men are of equal value. Their assignments are different, but their Lord and faithfulness is the same.

 

 

 

"For by grace you have been saved through faith." Ephesians 2:8

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