Category Archives: 1 Kings

19 When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal. ² 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.”

³ Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. ⁴ Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”

1 Kings 19:1-4

Dear God, I come back to this story often because it is so relatable. This is Elijah we are talking about THE Elijah. He’s coming off of this amazing victory against the prophets of Baal and seeing your power on full display. He had this amazing experience with you. And yet here he is, praying for death. Literally, talking to you and asking you to take his life, “for [he] is no better than [his] ancestors who have already died.” Ironically, he’s one of only a couple of people who never died. Hmm. I don’t think I’ve put that together before.

This kind of reminds me of the passage I read from the Sermon on the Mount yesterday in Matthew 7 about you being a good father who gives us good gifts. If we ask for bread will you give us a stone? If we ask for death and you still have use of us will you give it to us?

In this case, you were not done with Elijah. In fact, you won’t be done with him until 2 Kings chapter 2. There is work to be done. No, Elijah.

Later, you will ask Elijah, “Why are you here?” He responds that he has been zealous for you, but the Israelites have rejected you and killed your prophets. Now they want him dead too. The real answer is, he’s scared. Verse 3 says it. After Jezebel sends a message to him that she will kill him, it says, “Elijah was afraid and fled for his life.”

You have done so much for me. You have done so much in my life. And yet there are times when I just want to curl up and hide in bed. There are times when my faith is so small and the mountain looks so big. Sometimes my faith just fails. I guess it is nice to know that even Elijah felt the same thing. Moses did. David did. Peter did. Paul did. We all do. Sometimes I just need to regroup, sit before you, and let your Holy Spirit minister to me. Sometimes I need to clear the sand away from my foundation and make sure all of the piers for the foundation are set into the rock.

Father, prepare my heart this morning. I’m supposed to be teaching a Sunday school class. I’ve done my preparation. I’ve spent time with you. I’m excited about the topic. But, frankly, I feel inadequate. I don’t feel up to it. And I’m afraid, just like Elijah. Not for my life, but that I won’t look good. That they won’t be impressed with me as a teacher. Yes, that is where my ego truly is this morning. So help me to die to that, turn loose of how this day will reflect on me, and care about representing the words you might have to say to this group of people. Oh, Lord, be glorified through me. Help me to decrease as you increase. “I’m just a nobody trying to tell everybody about somebody who saved my soul.” (Casting Crowns).

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

¹⁷ But the Lord said to Elijah, ¹⁸ “Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He will be at Naboth’s vineyard in Jezreel, claiming it for himself. ¹⁹ Give him this message: ‘This is what the Lord says: Wasn’t it enough that you killed Naboth? Must you rob him, too? Because you have done this, dogs will lick your blood at the very place where they licked the blood of Naboth!’”

²⁰ “So, my enemy, you have found me!” Ahab exclaimed to Elijah.

“Yes,” Elijah answered, “I have come because you have sold yourself to what is evil in the Lord’s sight. ²¹ So now the Lord says, ‘I will bring disaster on you and consume you. I will destroy every one of your male descendants, slave and free alike, anywhere in Israel! ²² I am going to destroy your family as I did the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat and the family of Baasha son of Ahijah, for you have made me very angry and have led Israel into sin.’

²³ “And regarding Jezebel, the Lord says, ‘Dogs will eat Jezebel’s body at the plot of land in Jezreel.’

²⁴ “The members of Ahab’s family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field will be eaten by vultures.”

²⁵ (No one else so completely sold himself to what was evil in the Lord’s sight as Ahab did under the influence of his wife Jezebel. ²⁶ His worst outrage was worshiping idols just as the Amorites had done—the people whom the Lord had driven out from the land ahead of the Israelites.)

²⁷ But when Ahab heard this message, he tore his clothing, dressed in burlap, and fasted. He even slept in burlap and went about in deep mourning.

²⁸ Then another message from the Lord came to Elijah: ²⁹ “Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has done this, I will not do what I promised during his lifetime. It will happen to his sons; I will destroy his dynasty.”

1 Kings 21:17-29

Dear God, this is one of those stories that reminds me of a couple of things. First, don’t read the Bible in too small of chunks because you could miss an important part of the story. In this case, if I had stopped at verse 27, I would have missed your mercy due to Ahab’s repentance in verse 28 and 29.

Second, you are good. You’re just chomping at the bit to love on us. To show us mercy. You love us. It’s amazing how much you love us. Thank you. In this case, you were showing Ahab love and mercy, in our earthly timeline anyway, before Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. You are always there. You have always been there.

I was praying with my wife this morning and I felt compelled to just express my love for you to you. And I do, Father. I love you. I’m so grateful for you. I really do want to learn from you and live the life on earth that you have for me to live. I want to slog with you through the valley of the shadow of death. I want to be faithful in the little things. I want to bring your joy to others around me. I want to be part of your kingdom coming to this earth and touching the less fortunate and the fortunate as well. So give me ears to hear. Give me eyes to see. I’m going to a training for leaders today. Make me the man you need me to be for those who are there.

I give all of this to you as a prayer in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

“…¹⁸ Yet I will preserve 7,000 others in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal or kissed him!”

1 Kings 19:18

Dear God, I was reading one of my favorite Old Testament stories this morning about Elijah running, being in the cave and you asking him, “What are you doing here?” I love it. But then as I read on, I saw this one passage in verse 18 that caught my eye. You preserved those in Israel who had never bowed down to Baal or kissed him. Their fealty to you was seemingly credited to them as righteousness. These were not perfect people. They also weren’t necessarily brave people. They were just lovers of you and it counted for something in your eyes.

I wish I could somehow convey to people, whether they be my family, coworkers, or anyone else in my sphere of influence, how amazing it is to get to know you, worship you, and be transformed by you. I wish others could see that the sacrifice of self and the time taken to get to know you and commune with your Holy Spirit is worth it. I wish I was more effective in that.

Father, I’m not a righteous man. I’m not a brave man. I do think, however, I’m earnest. I earnestly love you. I earnestly love my wife, children, and family. I earnestly care about those around me. Please help that count for something and use me how you will in this world so that your kingdom might come and your will might be done on earth as it is in the heavens.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.

At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.”

Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.

“Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor —so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” Then Solomon awoke —and he realized it had been a dream.

He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.
1 Kings 3:3-15

Dear God, someone told me yesterday that I am smart. I certainly don’t feel it. I see all of the things I don’t understand, can’t comprehend, and cannot decipher. I have a particular challenge right now that I think I mentioned yesterday. I’m still sorting it out. I’m trying to negotiate with someone who has all of the leverage and no reason to care about the needs of those for whom I’m advocating. I need a pathway forward for the sake of those I serve. I need your wisdom.

And I need your wisdom not only in this situation, but in everything. My marriage. My children. All of my relationships. Keeping myself from situations where I am led to temptation. You get the idea. In every aspect of life I need your wisdom so that I might be the man you need me to be.

Father, to quote Solomon, “I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties.” Help me. Give me wisdom. And when the fruit of your wisdom comes to hear in my life, please keep me humbled before you, worshipping you and thanking you. You are the only reason I am who I am, and I owe you everything.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9b)

Dear God, it’s a totally different context and set of circumstances within which I find myself right now than where Elijah was in his life, but the question came to me yesterday while I was driving to my vacation. What am I doing here? I don’t feel a particular need for a vacation. I don’t feel burned out. I don’t feel directionless. I don’t feel lost or scared. Why am I spending a couple thousand dollars this week to be here? What am I doing here?

The last time I remember feeling this question asked of me was in January 2005. That was a time of great uncertainty, and we were convinced that was going to be the year that we really focused on my wife. She was going to apply to graduate school in another state, and I was going to be willing to relocate for her benefit. 2005 was gong to be “The Year of Megan.” So I was at a men’s retreat at the beginning of January with my dad and brother-in-law, and I remember going for a jog/hike and praying about the year ahead and being willing to do whatever you wanted. In retrospect, it was a huge year for our family, but it ended up being my career for which we changed cities and moved.

So now I’m asking myself why I’m here. Honestly, I had the week off and I had no idea what I would do at home for a week. I could do some chores, but that would only take a day (and they’ll be waiting for me when I get back). The other days would just be killing time. But there is something being down at the beach at South Padre Island and that helps me to disengage and relax. And it also helps me to be away and to think. It also helps me to maybe give some attention to different writing projects that are on my heart.

So what am I doing here? Father, I think it’s just to not waste days, but to have some time to both rest, pray, and think. Pray about they year to come as it pertains to my personal world (family, work, friends, community, etc.) and the world at large. Think about what is on my heart and what might have been put there by you. And work on a couple of these projects and see if they have any traction. There just might be something there that can make a difference for your kingdom. So be with me this week. Speak to me. Give me ears to hear, eyes to see, and a mind read to respond.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen