Grow. pray. study. United Methodist
Church of the Resurrection Daily Guide
Wednesday, 27 November 2013 “God
ministered to Elijah in the wilderness”
Daily Scripture: 1 Kings 19: Elijah Flees from Jezebel
1 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had
done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel
sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me, and more also,
if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.”
3 Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life, and came to Beer-sheba,
which belongs to Judah; he left his servant there.
4 But he himself went a day’s journey
into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He
asked that he might die: “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I
am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the broom tree and
fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, “Get up and eat.” 6
He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of
water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. 7 The angel of the Lord came a
second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will
be too much for you.” 8 He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the
strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. 9
At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there.
Then the word of the Lord came to him,
saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He answered, “I have been very
zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your
covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone
am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”
Elijah Meets God at Horeb
11 He said, “Go out and stand on the
mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Now there was a
great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking 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; 12 and after the earthquake
a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer
silence. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went
out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that
said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He answered, “I have been very
zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your
covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I
alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”(NRSV)
Reflection Questions:
God gave Elijah a great public victory.
But Queen Jezebel was still in power. Angry about Baal's defeat, she threatened
to kill Elijah. Her defiance of him and God was too much for the
"successful" prophet, the bold man of action. Tired, depressed and
afraid, he ran. God cared gently for Elijah's physical and mental fatigue. Then
God spoke again to Elijah in his wilderness—perhaps in the way Elijah least
expected.
Canaanite images often showed Baal with
fists full of thunderbolts. God sent fire on Mt. Carmel, but not here. The New
Bible Commentary says, "‘A gentle whisper' and ‘a still small voice' (RSV)
do not do full justice to the enigmatic Hebrew, which may be better rendered ‘a
brief sound of silence.'…it implies God was at last passing in the silence
after the storm." When have you heard God, not in sound and spectacle, but
in silence?
Elijah didn't just wander aimlessly in
the wilderness. He went to Mount Horeb, also known as Mount Sinai—the very
place where God had made a covenant with the people of Israel in the days of
Moses (cf. Deuteronomy 5:2). What are some of the sacred places, the fixed
points in your life's journey with God? Do you ever consider returning to them
in times of difficulty or pain?
Today's Prayer:
Loving Lord, instead of scolding your
exhausted, frightened prophet, you gave him bread, rest and compassionate
hearing. I thank you that I can count on your love and compassion when I am
hurting, too. Amen.
Wednesday, 27 November 2013 - Insight
from Rev. Steven Blair
Rev. Steven Blair is the Congregational
Care pastor of Live Forward and Live Well Emotional Wellness Ministry.
www.cor.org/liveforward
The Message that Helped the Depressed
Elijah
or
“You Are Not Alone”
WEDNESDAY, 27 November 2013 1 Kings 19: Elijah
Flees from Jezebel
1 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had
done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel
sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me, and more also,
if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.”
3 Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life, and came to Beer-sheba,
which belongs to Judah; he left his servant there.
4 But he himself went a day’s journey
into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He
asked that he might die: “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I
am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the broom tree and
fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, “Get up and eat.” 6
He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of
water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. 7 The angel of the Lord came a
second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will
be too much for you.” 8 He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the
strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. 9
At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there.
Then the word of the Lord came to him,
saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He answered, “I have been very
zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your
covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I
alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”
Elijah Meets God at Horeb
11 He said, “Go out and stand on the
mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Now there was a
great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking 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; 12 and after the earthquake
a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer
silence. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went
out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that
said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He answered, “I have been very
zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your
covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I
alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”(NRSV)
Clinical Depression is not the same as
sadness. A Depressed Brain is an
inflamed brain. It is swollen and is measurably
bigger. (Learn more at
www.cor.org/depressioninterview). If my
thumb were swollen, people would not say “Steven, your thumb is swollen because
you aren’t trying hard enough or it’s all in your head.” They likely wouldn’t say “Steven, your thumb
is swollen because God is teaching you a lesson or punishing you.” Or “Your
thumb is swollen and it’s a sign that you must not be trusting in God
enough.” Instead, people would likely
say something like “Wow, that looks like it hurts. It must be hard for you to type and text.” I
would receive the most sought out words:
“I see.”
Depression is the same way. I have been blessed to lead the Live Well
Emotional Wellness Ministry for a couple of years at Resurrection. I have seen over 500 people with Depression
and Anxiety in that program in addition to the people I have seen in my office
for pastoral counseling. We begin with
that one statement from Dr. Stephen Ilardi, author and professor at the
University of Kansas. “A depressed brain
is an inflamed brain.” When we start
there, the shame begins to melt away.
If you are struggling with Depression, I
believe you. I see. The part of your brain that is inflamed
included the left frontal cortex which oversees motivation. It can be hard for you to be motivated to do
______________ for the same reason as it is for a person with an inflamed thumb
to text or type.
You’re not making this up.
I believe God has two messages for you.
#1
There is Hope. Our God is an
Easter God who has a history of surprises.
No matter how dark your Saturday is or how many Saturdays who have experienced,
Sunday is on its way.
#2
You Are Not Alone. This message
comes from the Elijah Scripture from last week’s sermon.
In 1 Kings 18, Elijah engages in a
showdown with the priests of the false gods Baal and Asherah. Both sides called on their god/God to consume
an offering of a bull by fire. While
Baal and Asherah remained silent, Elijah’s God responded in dramatic
fashion. This would have been a good day
for Elijah. He probably wrote in his
journal that night “Dear Diary, I had the best day ever.”
But the very next chapter Elijah opens
with Elijah down in the dumps again. He
is running from people who had made their spiritual bets on the side of Baal
and Asherah. He voices a desire to no
longer live to an angel saying “I am the
only one {faithful prophet} left, and now they are trying to kill me too (1
Kings 19:10.)” Elijah then travels 40
days to Mt. Horeb to meet with God.
At the top of Mt Horeb, there was a great
wind but God was not in the wind. There
was a great earthquake but God was not in the earthquake. There was a great fire and, say it with me,
but God was not in the fire. But then a
still small voice came and Elijah recognized this whisper to be the voice of
God. God speaks in a whisper and we can
find that voice if we can become quiet.
But Elijah is not specifically transformed by this still small voice.
Elijah’s first response to God is “I am
the only one {faithful prophet} left, and now they are trying to kill me too (1
Kings 19:14).” These words are identical
to what Elijah said before the still, small voice showed up. God responds to Elijah by telling him, among
other details, “I have reserved seven thousand in Israel like you (1 Kings
19:18).” Translation: “Elijah, you are
not alone.” This is where Elijah’s
transformation began. After hearing this
message, Elijah was able to leave the mountaintop and begin living the rest of
his life with a deep sense of connection to a larger body of people. This is where our transformation begins, too.
I want you to hear this. Lean in.
You are not alone. You are not
alone. While the exact number varies, most
researchers estimate that about 40 million adult Americans struggle with
clinical depression. That is equivalent
to the same number of people who live in the states of Kansas, Missouri, Iowa,
Nebraska, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Illinois combined. Just as there are wonderful people in these
states there are also wonderful people who struggle with depression.
By a show of hands, lift them high where
I can see them.
1) Who has watched an entire season of
The Bachelor? Look around, YOU ARE NOT
ALONE
2) Who installs their toilet paper to
fall from the bottom instead of coming over the top? Look around, YOU ARE NOT ALONE. (Perhaps, misguided but still not alone)
3) Who struggles with the medical
condition called Depression? Look
around, YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
There are likley a couple thousand people at Resurrection who
struggle with Depression. People like
you. YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
There is a team of pastors here at
Resurrection who can care for you. We
can remind you that there is hope and you are not alone. You can make an appointment with us by
calling 913-544-0707. The next Live
Well session begins in February.
Registration will open in a couple weeks. The Live Forward program that I lead includes
two groups, one for men and one for women, who are struggling with any type of
hurt. While we are not meeting this
Thursday due to Thanksgiving, I would love to talk with you about it more. You can find out more at
www.cor.org/liveforward or by emailing me at steven.blair@cor.org.
Let’s pray.
O God, I see people smiling and laughing
and often assume that they smile and laugh more than they might actually
do. I tend to think that nobody knows
the trouble I have seen and nobody knows my sorrow. Open my eyes to your transformative message
that I am not alone. There are other like me.
Good people. Like me. Amen.
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The Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, KS 66224 United States
(913) 897-0120
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