Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Explain why I’ve been gone for so long….

Introduce the text…read 1 Kings 17:1-7….dried up…

1 Kings 17:1–7 NLT

Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe in Gilead, told King Ahab, “As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!” Then the Lord said to Elijah, “Go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River. Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food.” So Elijah did as the Lord told him and camped beside Kerith Brook, east of the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the brook. But after a while the brook dried up, for there was no rainfall anywhere in the land.

It felt as if my connection with God was in jeopardy…it felt like my stream of living water had dried to a trickle…

So…I can resonate with the prophet today….I can understand just a little bit, how he may have felt…

Elijah’s name can be translated to mean a few different things….it can either mean “Strength of the Lord ”or “My God is Yahweh”..…or it can mean…. “Fat Tail”……yup….fat tail….I can already hear the schoolyard bullies back in Tishbe…”wassup Fat Tail!?” It is in reference to the rump of a sheep…a place that is both stout and truncated, strong yet brief (sheep don’t have long tails…).

All of these strangely enough foreshadow Elijah’s mission from God….He would come in the strength of God…his God! He would deliver a stout and strong message, but in comparison to Elisha who would come after him…his time on the job was relatively short…

Elijah appears suddenly before the king and declares that on his say so (as a spokesman for the living God) that there will be no more rain…and then he left. No time for rebuttal, cross examination, or defence…the verdict has been decided and the sentence has been carried out… That is some type of confidence! I can almost see Elijah as he walked….no…STRUTTED…form the kings palace…an air of confidence about him….I can imagine God was watching as well….

How do we respond when God comes through again and again for us? Are their times that we almost become either blasé about it…or presumptious?

3 things to take away from this story

After a high…their usually comes a low (1 Kings 17:1-7)

Speaking to Ahab…followed by a Dry Brook

Have you ever had a dry brook experience?

This can be especially hard to deal with at the beginning of your ministry, your relationship, or your career

But…if we rely on God….We can see that not only is He the reason we have achieved so much, but He is also the one that can get us through these difficult “nights of the soul”…through the dry spells of life….through the hard times..

Miracles can happen even in places of barrenness (Time with the Widow 1 Kings 17:8-24)

Don’t think that God has forgotten you…follow His commands…Go where He leads you…there is a place for you to be reaffirmed in your calling…and be a blessing for someone else at the same time!

The woman had next to nothing, but coming into contact with a man of God turned her little into much….YES..little is much when God touches it…. Years later on a grassy hill beside the sea…the Son of God would take some fish and some bread ad multiply it so mightily that none went hungry that day…The power of God needed one thing that day as it did during Elijah’s time…a willingness to give all…

What are you willing to give? Have you given over everything to Jesus

Your best is yet to come! (18)

This is not a reference to some aspect of prosperity gospel….what I’m saying is that your greatest use in the hands of God…is yet to come!

All through this story, Elijah was only able to stand firm in the kings palace because God was with Him….only able to maintain in the wilderness because God was with Him…only able to bring a boy back to life!....because God was with Him….

And now…on Mount Carmel, God is looking to use Elijah as a spiritual lighting rod…to galvanise the people…and to show them what can be accomplished if one should stay the course, believe and obey the one true God of heaven…let’s read.. (18:20- 29)

Elijah found himself here….between a rock and a hard place…between the stones of the altar and the hardened hearts of the servants of Baal…and in the place…he did not look to the left…He did not look to the right…He walked towards the altar…He looked up and whispered these words (vs 36-37). Why whisper? You don’t need to shout…when God is by your side…when God has never left you…when you are the wingman to the ruler of the universe…all you have to say when you can’t take anymore is “Jesus….take the wheel!” And our Lord will navigate us to the place where we need to be…

If you are ever, heaven forbid, set on fire…the experts say to stop, drop and roll in order to extinguish the flames… Well..if you want to experience HOLY FIRE….the power of GOD in your life…it’s as simple as…..

Stop, Look up, Pray

Illustration:

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops." - James 5:16-18 In his book Miracles in Black, Dr. John C. Wengatz tells of an African convert who was left at a new mission station to carry on the Lord's work with a cannibal tribe. It was the dry season when Joao Mbaxi took over, but soon the tropical rains would be coming. Month after month went by, however, without a cloud appearing in the sky. Then came the time for the normal dry period. By now everyone was suffering, and many were on the brink of starvation.

In all the years they had worshiped their ancient gods, the rains had never failed them, and so Joao was told that he must leave the country and take "the white man's God" with him. The courageous Christian refused to go. Then, flushed with anger, the chief sullenly warned, "If your God is as good as you say and so powerful that He rules the sky, why doesn't He send us the needed showers? If it doesn't rain by sunrise tomorrow, we will drink your blood and eat your flesh!"

Recalling the Biblical account of Elijah, Joao went to his hut and prayed for divine help with the same urgency as that of the ancient prophet. Meanwhile the members of the tribe waited for the dawn when the Christian leader would become the victim of their horrible feast. Just before daylight, thunder was heard in the distance, lightning flashed across the sky, and abundant rain refreshed the entire region! As a result, Joao was able to continue his work for Christ. The prayer of someone who is totally dependent on the Lord is powerful! Today in prayer, confess any sin in your life and pray for something that is completely out of your hands for Christ's glory. "It is not the arithmetic of our prayers, how many they are: nor the rhetoric of our prayers, how eloquent they are; nor the geometry of our prayers, how long they be; nor the music of our prayers, how sweet our voice may be; nor the logic of our prayers, how argumentative they may be; nor the method of our prayers, how orderly they may be -- which God cares for. Fervency of spirit is that which availeth much." - William Lee God's Word: "Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word."" - 1 Kings 17:1

Let me ask you today…are you between a rock and hard place? Has your brook dried up…the brook of marriage…employment…relationships….finance…? Have you felt the pressure from everyone around you to just give in to the bitterness…the despair….the depression… Have you felt as if something has died in your life…and you don’t know what to do…

Just whisper to Jesus….”Lord. Help. ME.” He is in the room right now…He is by your side right now…and He is just waiting for you to let Him take over….

Do it now…ask Him now…let Him take control now…

When we find ourselves between a rock and a hard place…we need to go to Jesus…the stone that the builders rejected…the one who can help us stand on a firm foundation….

Next week…

Part two: Even prophets need a reminder…

AS we pass through the hard places of life…it can seem as though everything is going wrong…God understands this… This week we will take another look at Elijah and see how persistent God can be to get our attention…and how understanding He can be with our failures and imperfections…

Between a Rock and Hard Place II

Starting Text: 1 Kings 19:1-3

1 Kings 19:1–3 NLT

When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal. So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.” Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there.

Last week we left off with Elijah high off a victory for the Lord…God had moved in a mighty way and proved once again that there is only one God…who is worthy of the praise…AMEN?!

But let me ask you…do you remember what we said last week about what follows a high?....that’s right…a low…and this case Elijah experiences something that he has not had before… someone who is just as zealous…just as devoted to Baal as He is to God! And it shakes him to the core..

3 points to survive the place between the Hard place and the Rock

1. Get some Rest

a. Elijah was exhausted to the point that he thought death was a better option than living

b. When you get tired…you can’t think straight (article on driver fatigue)

c. Elijah had not stopped since two chapters ago…this could have been a period of many hours or even a few days…and then he ran ahead of Ahab in his chariot…I would be tired! How about you…?

i. Most of us don’t’get enough sleep…and we still make it through a day…I wonder how we would fair if we got our 8 hours? Hmm….

ii. God has promises for those who are looking for rest…

1. Proverbs 3:24 ESV If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

2. Psalm 127:2 ESV It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.

iii. Maybe Elijah should have read this….

2. Get some Food

a. When your hungry you can’t think straight….

b. Don’t go to the supermarket hungry!

i. You buy all kinds of weird things when you shop hungry…tasty things…REALLY tasty things…but they aren’t good for ya!

c. Elijah had not eaten for a number of hours, if not days…

d. One portion was not enough…He needed a second…

e. We need more of the bread in our life too…the Bread that came from heaven…Jesus…and we need more water too…that living water that flows from the throne of God…Jesus…

f. We need more…more….more…to make it through the day….more more more….to give us strength come what may….We need more…

i. Let me ask…How much of Jesus do you need today? “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19, HCSB) (some….a little bit…just enough…ALL)

3. Get to God

a. Go to where He is leading you…and do what He asks you to do…

b. Elijah went to Mount Horeb….this mountain was also known by another name…Mount Sinai…the mountain where Moses went to meet with God…

c. Elijah enters a cave…some manuscripts say THE cave…what cave you may ask… Exodus 33:12-31

i. God wants to encourage us….when times are difficult…when we feel like we can’t go on…God wants to be your biggest fan…cheering you on to the finish line…You can do it…because God has got you safe in His hand…

Conclusion:

Being between a Rock and hard place can be tough…but it need not be the end. The hard places of this life…the people who don’t like you….the situations that don’t seem to work out….the times that you fail…the times when something bad just happens out of the blue… These hard things don’t need to be the end of us… We just need to go to the Rock and he will hide us in the cleft of His mighty power…in the cave of His mercy…in the hollow of His tender love…and we will find peace…

When times are tough, when fear threatens to swallow our hope….let us be people who go to the Rock of our Salvation…and let us find shelter there!