From “In the Beginning” to Amen // Searching for God Knows What 1 Kings 19:1-3 (NKJV) “And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, ‘So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.’ And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.” 1 Kings 19:4 (NKJV) “But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, ‘It is enough! Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!’" Even Elijah Had a Breaking Point God Doesn’t Abandon Us but Rather Meets Us at Our Point of Weakness 1 Kings 19:5 (NKJV) “Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, ‘Arise and eat.’ Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So, he ate and drank and lay down again.” 1 Kings 19:7 (NKJV) “And the angel of the LORD came back the second time, and touched him, and said, ‘Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.’ So, he arose and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.” God Ushers Him into His Forty Day Journey 1 Kings 19:9 (NKJV) “And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ So, he said, ‘I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.’” Second Point of Hope - He Does Not Abandon Us in the Darkness of Fear and Doubt 1 Kings 19:11 (NKJV) “Then He said, ‘Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.’ And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire.” Exodus 19:16-19 (NLT) “On the morning of the third day, thunder roared and lightning flashed, and a dense cloud came down on the mountain. There was a long, loud blast from a ram’s horn, and all the people trembled. Moses led them out from the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in the form of fire. The smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a brick kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently. As the blast of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God thundered his reply.” Exodus 20:18-20 (NLT) “When the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the ram’s horn, and when they saw the flashes of lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear. And they said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will die!’” God’s Declaration in His Very Existence and Being… His Presence, His Breath… 1 Kings 19:13 (NKJV) “So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’” 1 Kings 19:14-15 (NKJV) “And he said, ‘I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.’ Then the LORD said to him: ‘Go, return on your way…’” “Let’s get back to it…” Third Point of Hope - God Is Not Done with You Because You Are Wandering or on a Dark Place Even In Our Faith We Are Mortal Find Rest for Your Mind and Body… When We Are Spent Physically and Mentally, We Are Really Vulnerable God Has Not Abandoned You… He Is Not Condemning You; He Wants to Encourage You, Strengthen You and Sustain You… God Is Not Wanting to Use You Up and Discard You… He Wants You to Find Rest and Be Restored 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV) ”CAST ALL YOUR CARES AND ANXIETIES ON ME, BECAUSE I CARE FOR YOU..." He Goes with You and Prepares a Place He WILL Meet with You