This morning I had a block. I prayed and meditated. Sat and
waited. And waited. And nothing. It was a struggle to hear anything. People
were talking to me and I just couldn’t hear anything from God. So, I went
outside and walked around until I found a quiet spot and I sat down. As I sat
with my eyes closed, I started to hear the birds sing and felt the wind blow
across my face. In that moment, I heard the Lord say in a quiet voice, “I’m
still here.” I almost wanted to cry at the sweetness of those words. Sometimes,
the distractions of life, of ministry, of family can get you to a very dry
place. It can be very lonely and frustrating because you know who God is and
what He can do but you can’t feel Him. It’s not about a lack of love or even
relationship with God, it’s about your joy and your zeal. Today, God is
speaking to those of you that are struggling to find your “get up & go”,
your motivation. He is saying very simply to you, “I am still here.”
I thought of Elijah and his cave experience when I heard God
say that. He was at a point of giving up and wanted to die. You’ve probably
read this story many times but there was one part that spoke to me. In 1 King
19 verses 10 and 14, Elijah repeats something I think tells of his frustration
more than anything else. He says, “I have
zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken
their covenant with You, torn down Your altars, and killed every one of Your
prophets. I am the only one left and now they are trying to kill me too.”
Sure, he was scared of Jezebel coming for his life but it seems that he was
more upset because he had done all that he was supposed to do and still he had
to face a terrible consequence. Have you ever felt like that? Frustrated
because you have done your very best and given your all but it just doesn’t
seem good enough. It happens often to mothers and leaders but God gave Elijah a
word that I believe will help you find your strength again. He says in verse 15,
“Go back the same way you came…” God tells Elijah exactly what to do from that
point but that phrase stood out to me. “Go back the same way you came.”
Sometimes you have to go back and remember who God really is in your life in
order to get going again. You have to remember why you fell in love with Him in
the first place. You have to remember where He brought you from. You have to
remember what this journey is really about. You have to remember how real He
was to you when you first met God in your cave. He’s still here!
When I asked God how to drive the point home, He immediately
sent me to Ezekiel 37. There’s no story in the Bible that so beautifully
illustrates restoration like Ezekiel’s experience in the valley of dry bones. I
mean, it doesn’t get any drier than bones scattered across a valley. The Lord
explains in verse 11 that the bones represented the people of Israel. They were
in exile and hopeless. Do you know how that is? To feel out of place but know
God has a purpose for you. To know you need to press on but your desire is low?
These bones were DRY! God told Ezekiel to speak the Word to the bones. “Look! I
am going to put breath into you and make you live again! I will put flesh and muscles
on you and cover you with skin. I will put breath into you and you will come to
life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” (Eze. 37:5&6 NLT)
Suddenly the bones came together but had no life. Then God told Ezekiel to
speak to the winds. “This
is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, O breath, from
the four winds! Breathe into these dead bodies so they may live again.’ So I spoke the message as he commanded me,
and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their
feet—a great army.” (Eze. 37: 9&10 NLT) Here’s my point. God showed Ezekiel in the spirit
the spiritual state of Israel and He gave Him the Word that would bring them
back to life. God has a Word that will bring you back to life too. He has the
Word that will call you out of your dry place, out of your grief, out of your
frustration. He told Ezekiel to tell His people, “I will put my Spirit in you and you will live again and return home to
your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord have spoken and I have done
what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken.” He will bring you back to yourself
and when you have come out you will know that He has done it. He’s still here!
I know what it is to struggle with a lack
of motivation and joy. I know what it is to be disappointed in people and have
to fight to get back to yourself. But more so, I know that God is the God of a
comeback. He is one that can restore the joy of your salvation. He is one that
can breathe life back into your very soul. You just need to trust that He is
still in the midst. That even if you can’t trace Him as the old saints used to
say, He is right there watching over you and waiting to give you a fresh wind.
Sometimes you just have to take a quiet moment and listen so you can hear that
still small voice. May the joy of the Lord be your strength today! May you be
encouraged to take back your joy and your fight! He’s still here…AMEN
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