1 Kings 19:4 (ESV) “But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness”
1 Kings 19:7-8 (ERV) “Later the Lord’s angel came to him again, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat! If you don’t, you will not be strong enough to make the long trip.” 8 So Elijah got up. He ate and drank and felt strong.”
As we have seen the last few days, Elijah scared for his life, runs into the wilderness. He has lost all hope, he wants to die. Satan loves to work in the wilderness. As a result of Satan’s work in the wilderness, many not only question their faith, but God as well. They think that God has forgotten or abandoned them, that all their past efforts have been nothing but wasted. During the wilderness experience we will be tempted to give up and doubt the integrity of God’s Word. It’s a time when we become confused, frustrated, irritable, and angry. We move from thoughts of faith to thoughts of doubt. In the wilderness we are tempted to do our own thing and try to make things happen in our own strength.
How do we respond to the enemy? You must fully trust the Word of God. The only weapon Jesus used when he was in the Wilderness, was the Word. We cannot afford to respond with fear, doubt, worry, and unbelief, because when we do it only gives Satan a foothold in our lives. When we speak the Word of God over our circumstances, and affirm the truth over and over again, it will ultimately settle peacefully in our souls, thus renewing our confidence that everything is truly working for our good and for God’s glory.
Yvonne Carson says, “When we experience God’s peace, our enemy is completely dumbfounded; it silences him; he simply can’t understand how we can praise and worship God in the midst of trial and difficulty”
James 4:7(NLT) “So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
2 Corinthians 10:4 (ERV) “The weapons we use are not human ones. Our weapons have power from God and can destroy the enemy’s strong places.”
We can feel like God has forsaken us. That he is far away. One of the greatest challenges is what will we believe – our feelings and emotions or God’s Word. Our feelings are real. We really feel them. They are strong. But our feelings are a poor barometer of the truth. Though they are true feelings, they are not always the truth. God’s word is the truth, whether we feel it or not. When the journey is too much for you, get up and eat the Word of God.
Matthew 4:4-6 (NLT) “But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
When Elijah was in the Wilderness the Angel of God said to him “Get up and eat! If you don’t, you will not be strong enough to make the long trip.”
Jeremiah 23:29 (ESV) “Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?”
Get up and eat the Word of God, if you don’t, you will not be strong enough to make the long trip.