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This is a message of encouragement for those who are discouraged or feel like they are not on a “mountain top.” It is the story of Elijah’s discouragement and flight in the wilderness after the victory at Mt. Carmel and Jezebel’s subsequent threat on his life. Instead of chiding him, God met him with comfort and grace – a drink, a cake, and a still small voice.
Mountain top experiences are not the end goal; there is almost always a valley between the mountains. The valleys can keep us dependent on God, free from the complacency of success.
Spiritual excellence is not so much a place as it is a pursuit. God does not mean for our work to be our identity. Seasons of ministry come and go but should not affect our identity in Christ. Our ministry is not as important as our personal spiritual pursuit.
God met Elijah with grace that addressed his heart needs. Elijah was given a fresh glimpse of who God is and was strengthened for the next leg of his journey.
Elijah’s story speaks into our story: Are we letting our work for God define our identity, or are we seeing it as a gift to God? Are we keeping our personal spiritual pursuit of God as the goal? Are we running away or toward?
There is still a Horeb, a meeting place, where God speaks in a still small voice, where our will can break, trust can return, surrender can happen. Have we found surrender and peace even if the circumstances haven’t changed?
God’s kindness and grace are the best companions human frailty will ever find. There is nourishment for the next phase of the journey, a presence that speaks in the deepest recesses of the heart, strength for weakness, and peace in the storm.