Everybody has problems! The problem with problems is how we think and feel about the problems. Did you catch that? Read it again if you need.
Look Up
Life is made of problems. At school they teach you math and show you how to solve problems. If you didn’t have problems at work, your employer wouldn’t need you. Problems are job security. You are going to face them. You are hired to solve them. The question: How will you think and feel about your challenges?
Often we feel dread when encountering a problem. We can get so down that paralysis creeps in and we don’t take action. This isn’t good. We are not thinking with faith in a powerful God.
Consider Elijah. He was a great prophet who stood for God, spoke God’s Word when the nation rejected the LORD’s message, he faced off with the false prophets and won, but those are the good things. Elijah also had problems. He lived to point the people to God, but saw little evidence they were submitting to the LORD. The Queen threatened to kill him and he was on the run. He was tired, hungry, and lonely. He had problems.
Consider negative ways we often view our problems… We often think things like…
*My problem is greater than God. We might not actually say this, but we act like it is. Elijah had great faith in God’s ability. He stood alone against 450 false prophets and believed God would vindicate him. But then the Queen threatened to murder him, all of a sudden he sees the problem as bigger than God and runs. Sometimes you can have great faith in one area of your life and be weak of faith in another.
*I am the only one with problems. Elijah felt alone. He said to God, “I am the only one left.” (1 Kings 19:10) So many times I counsel with people who feel like the struggle they have, they have alone. They come to church and look at the rest of the people and think they have it all together. But they don’t. We all have struggles.
*I have lost hope in my future. This is what happened to Elijah. He said, “I have had enough, LORD…Take my life.” (1 Kings 19:4) Some have said he was suicidal. But he wasn’t. He simply lost his zest for life. This can happen to us when we fail to see the bigger picture of our circumstances from God.
We need to stop seeing our problems in these ways and start taking the steps God gives to rise above those problems.
What did God lead Elijah to do? He was commanded to take three steps…
- Get up. God sent an angel to the prophet to say, “Get up and eat.” (1 Kings 19:5). Two important things here. First is to get up. Don’t wallow in laziness, get yourself moving. When you feel overwhelmed by a problem, you might not feel like being active, but you need to anyway. Secondly, eat. That means, take care of your physical needs: rest, exercise, eat well. We are not mere spirits. We have bodies. We need to move them and fuel them if we are going to handle our problems. Are you faced with a big problem? Stay active and fuel your body with healthy food.
- Look up. God says to Elijah, to look up to God. He takes him to the Mountain and reveals His Presence to him. He is calling him to look to God and be reminded God is in control. Psalm 121:1-2 says, “I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD.” Perhaps today God is saying to you, “Look Up!” “I am here!” “I am in control.” “I will lead you through.”
- Link up. We should never think we must face our problems all alone. God has people he wants us to link up with as we walk through challenges. He showed Elijah that there were people to help with his mission and even revealed that there were 7,000 who were following the LORD in Israel. It is important that we link up with other believers on a continuous basis to encourage one another as we all work through our problems.
Question: Do you have a scripture that encourages you to look to God for strength in your challenges? Share it with us. You can leave a comment by clicking here.
I have not always made the best choices in my life but I keep my eye on my Goal to live a life to please HIM
Philippians 3:13 says Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead
I find strength in this!!
That is a powerful verse. I find strength in it too.
Isaiah 40:31
They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength
They will soar on wings like eagles;
They will run and not grow weary
They will walk and not be faint.
Another great Word!
I’m not sure if it’s a verse or nor, I only know it helps me pull through the rough and questionable moments, I repeat it at least three times—Be still, and know that I am God!!! I feel peace and strength instantly.
It’s a verse…Psalm 46:10
I lift my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121: 1-2
Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Philippains 4:7
Thanks for sharing those scriptures.
I value God’s tender moments with me when he lines up little things to show me just how loving He is. This devotional and another one I am reading, both with a similar message, encouraged me at just the right time. Here is a verse that I have been hanging on to since December. Eph. 3:20
“Now to him, who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”
Yes, His power works in us. Faith in that fact empowers you in the moment. Courage and calmness is possible when we believe He is at work within us. Thanks for sharing.
inspiring n encouraging. This piece has encouraged me to wake up and continue moving