Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
Feb. 24, 2025
I Kings 19:1-9
1 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, how he had killed all Baal’s prophets with the sword. 2 Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah with this message: “May the gods do whatever they want to me if by this time tomorrow I haven’t made your life like the life of one of them.” 3 Elijah was terrified. He got up and ran for his life. He arrived at Beer-sheba in Judah and left his assistant there. 4 He himself went farther on into the desert a day’s journey. He finally sat down under a solitary broom bush. He longed for his own death: “It’s more than enough, LORD! Take my life because I’m no better than my ancestors.” 5 He lay down and slept under the solitary broom bush. Then suddenly a messenger tapped him and said to him, “Get up! Eat something!” 6 Elijah opened his eyes and saw flatbread baked on glowing coals and a jar of water right by his head. He ate and drank, and then went back to sleep. 7 The LORD’s messenger returned a second time and tapped him. “Get up!” the messenger said. “Eat something, because you have a difficult road ahead of you.” 8 Elijah got up, ate and drank, and went refreshed by that food for forty days and nights until he arrived at Horeb, God’s mountain. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. The LORD’s word came to him and said, “Why are you here, Elijah?”
Good Morning. Embrace the Word of God!
The LORD’s word came to him and said, “Why are you here, Elijah?”
Most do not like to dwell on our most challenging times, but it is important to review the events that led to our despair so that we learn and grow stronger.
Imagine plotting out a trip. You do all the prep work. You identify potential hazards and note the places to get gas, eat, and points of interest. Before leaving, you gather the things you will need, and you embark on your journey. Along the way, you stop and observe beautiful views, have a nice meal, and refuel your car. You are having a wonderful day. Then, something happens that forces you from your planned route. The sun is setting, and you find yourself in an unknown area, a.k.a. YOU’RE LOST. As darkness settles in, you become fearful and ask yourself, “Why am I here?”
We go through similar struggles along our spiritual journey as well. We twist and turn along our path; sometimes, we are pulled or allow ourselves to be pulled into the shadows. “Oh, I’ll just peek in and see what’s going on!” we think. Then, in the blink of an eye, we realize that we have no idea how long we’ve been here and don’t know how to leave. “Why am I here?” or “How did I get here?” are often muttered when you recognize you are lost.
The Good News is that God is on call 24/7. We might hear words like, “Why are you here?” because we need to retrace the steps that lead us away from the prescribed path. No matter how we end up “here,” God is ready to lead us home.
Loving Lord, Maker of all things! You love us! We make wrong turns and find ourselves lost. Thank you for finding us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: God answers all who call and shows them the way home.
When you feel lost, call on God! Pastor Liz
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