But they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
--Isaiah 40:31
If you are feeling low today, God has a plan to help you defeat your depression!
First, God can refresh you. When Elijah was exhausted and emotionally drained, God provided refreshment. “And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again” (1 Kings 19:6).
God took care of Elijah’s physical needs—food and rest. Sometimes you need to withdraw physically, emotionally, and spiritually and be encouraged in the Lord.
Secondly, God rebuked Elijah. In verse 9, God asks, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Yes, God sent the earthquake and the fire. But in the end, God spoke to Elijah in “low whisper” (1 Kings 19:12).
You and I often want God to speak to us with spectacular events and situations. But God most often speaks in the still small voice of His Word.
And thirdly, God recommissioned Elijah. “And the LORD said to him, ‘Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria” (1 Kings 19:15). God told Elijah that it was time to get back in the game!
Allow God to refresh you, and then reach out to someone else!
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”
Ephesians 2:19–22
Every church is made up of people from many different backgrounds, experiences, economic strata, educational levels, and personalities. Yet God calls the church to unity in both purpose and belief, as well as in daily life. This is the model that was set in the book of Acts as we read of the early church. “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart” (Acts 2:46). Yet despite those commands and examples, all of us know of churches that are riven with discord and division. Indeed church splits are sadly common. Where does the problem lie?
While there are many reasons churches have trouble, often it comes down to people being unwilling to play their role in the body of Christ. Rather than viewing themselves as part of something great and glorious, they fail to see that God has a purpose and a place for them. Each of us brings something unique to the body of Christ, but we must be willing to be shaped and molded by Him to fit into place, just as the stones of Solomon’s Temple: “And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building” (1 Kings 6:7).
Today’s Growth Principle:
God’s work is bigger than any of us, and we must be willing to do our part to build up the body.
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