Water Walking 1

1 Kings 19:9-13

There was an old Saturday Night Live skit about a television personality much like the current Dr. Phil and the like. The female host had a single line that she persisted with when dealing with her guests. “Look at yourself.”

“Look at yourself,” she would say over and over again.

The skit was meant to be amusing because of the simplicity of the approach, but today’s passage reminds me of that one line.

What does God ask Elijah? How does Elijah respond? What does God have Elijah do? What is the point of this dramatic presentation in verses 11 and 12? What does God repeat in verse 13?

The repetition of God’s question seems to be God saying “Look at yourself, Elijah.” What are you doing here, Elijah? God knows why he is there and what he has been through, yet God asks the question twice.

Is He really seeking an answer or is God making Elijah look at himself, making him examine what he has done and what he needs to do?

I believe Elijah needed to examine himself and where he was to see that his work was not finished. It had been difficult so far and it would be difficult again, but he needed to remain faithful in serving God. There was no stopping and hiding in a cave.

We can be like Elijah, hiding in a cave of safety, a spiritual place that is secure and comfortable, away from the wind and earthquake and fire of life. But we are not to stay in the cave. Like Elijah we need to move on.

We may have spent years attending worship services, studying Scripture, volunteering at church, but it isn’t over. Many people reach a point where they feel it is enough. In spite of the effort and challenges we can’t go to a cave and hide away. We need to continue moving deeper in our faith – studying more, attending more, giving more.

Look at yourself. What are you doing here? Are you finished? Have you had enough? Are you spiritually at the end, your limit? Or can you go deeper in your faith? Can you serve God more and can you grow closer to our great God and Father?

DAILY CHALLENGE: Find a new spiritual challenge. Re-dedicate yourself to worship attendance, tithing, small group involvement and Biblical study.