Are You There Yet?

Day two hundred seventy-five

My prayer this morning was filled with appreciation for the blessings that the Lord has givien me.  It is amazing how the craziness of life can sometimes blind us from the blessings that are right in front of us.  I have been noticing the small blessings in my life more lately.  I’m not sure why, but I see the Lord’s hand in the everyday things that are going on around me and it makes me more aware of His love for me.  I just wanted Him to know that I know that He is there and that He loves me!

1 Kings 17

 In 1 Kings 17 we are introduced to the prophet Elijah.  Elijah is brought from obscurity and set front and center upon the stage of history. God takes a man who is an absolute nobody and He uses him to shake the throne and the nation of Israel.  

Israel was in the grip of the pagan worship of the Phoenician god, Baal. Baal was the god of fertility.  When the sun rose high into the sky, his followers believed they were seeing his face. When the great thunder heads rolled into the sky, his followers believed they were about to receive the blessings of Baal in the form of rain. Baal worship was a sensual, wicked, sexually perverse religion and God hated it to its core! When God allowed Elijah to stand before King Ahab and boldly say there will be no rain, it was a divine challenge!  

As Elijah's story unfolds, I noticed that he was often told to go somewhere, and when he got there, he would be taken care of.  As soon as Elijah stands before the king and issues God’s challenge, he is immediately told to go and hide himself by the brook Cherith.  The Lord promises him that He will take care of him while he is there.  After being at Cherith for a time, the brook of water dried up, and Elijah is told to go to Zarepath.  God promises the prophet that He has arranged for Elijah’s needs to be met there as well. When Elijah arrives at the brook and when he arrives at the widow’s house, he will be “there”. When he gets “there”, he is assured of the Lord’s blessings and provision. 

This got me wondering where is my "there"? For Elijah, “there” was a brook and later a widow’s house. For Noah, “there” was an Ark. For Daniel, “there” was a prayer room that led to a lion’s den.  For Ruth, “there” was a field owned by Boaz. For David, “there” was the throne of Israel. For Jesus, “there” was a cross.  Where is my "there'?

 “There” is that place in your life that finds you where God has placed you. “There” is His perfect will for your life. When you get “there”, you will know it! When you aren’t “there”, you will also know it!

 This chapter in Elijah's story teaches us some things about this place called "there".

 (vv 4, 9) Promises

God promised Elijah that the ravens would feed him “there”, by that brook. He is told that a widow woman “there” in Zarephath has been commanded to sustain him!  When Elijah went “there” as the Lord commanded, he found out that the Lord was as good as His Word! 

When we get to our "there" we too will find out that God keeps His promises.  When God puts you “there”, He will take care of you “there”!

(vv 6, 15-16) Eyes Opened 

When Elijah got “there”, the ravens flew in right on time every morning and evening with his meals.  When he arrived at the widow’s house, he saw the Lord suspend the very laws of nature to provide for his needs and for the needs of that widow’s family!

When we get “there” in our own life, we will find that the God who promises is also the God who can bring it to pass.  Those who arrive "there" see more than those who are not! 

(vv 9, 15-16, 22)  Power of God
When we get “there”, and stay “there”, we will be in a position to see His power manifested in our life as well. Many people live out their entire Christian lives and never experience His power. Why? They never get “there”!

Being “there” will sometimes place us in a situation that is out of our control. But, remember that when life is out of our control, it is well within His!  Those who are “there” will experience the power of God!

 (18:10-11) Protection
Because of what took place, Elijah was a wanted man. Chapter 18 finds Ahab searching everywhere for the prophet (1 Kings 18:10-11). But, because Elijah was “there”, he was in a place of safety and divine protection. Even in Zarephath, Jezebel’s backyard, Elijah was safe. Why? Because he was “there” and he was under divine protection!

(vv 9, 15-16, 22) Knowledge
By being “there”, Elijah learned more about God and His power than he could have anywhere else!  Being “there” was no doubt hard at times, any step of faith is, but, it was the best place he could have been because it afforded this man of God an opportunity to watch God work and to see God do things firsthand!

Our journey may lead us through some treacherous waters, but until we get "there" and watch Him do the impossible in our life, how will we ever know what He can do for us?

 Doesn't "there" sound like a great place to be!  Are you there yet? 

I think I have had moments of being "there".  But, if I were to be honest with myself I would have to admit that I am not "there" often enough.  Too often I choose comfort over holiness, indifference over confrontation, whining over prayer, amusement over service, compromise over sacrifice, and indulgence over generosity.  I have much to work on!  

I think getting to my "there" is a goal I want to keep.  I want to have the opportunities for the blessings that "there" has to offer. And I so look forward to the day when someone asks me, "Are you there yet?" and I can answer with a great big "YES!"