“Cast your cares on the Lord
and he will sustain you;
he will never let
the righteous be shaken.”

-Psalm 55:22

 

“Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” Elijah was afraid[a] and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled fortydays and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night.”  -1 Kings 19:1-9 NIV

Everyone has a breaking point. Even the great prophet Elijah reached a point, where he said, “I have had enough, Lord,”… “Take my life;.” You may ask: what happened to his great faith? He had just seen God give him great victories. But, have we not done the same thing? Have we not seen God do great things for us, only to find ourselves once again in the dark shadows of the valleys of doubt, fear, or unbelief? Have we not cried to God in our depths of despair? Have we not reached our physical, mental, or emotional breaking point at some time in our lives? I know I have. God has taken me through deserts and valleys; every time leading me to higher ground. I recall having gone through a time, where I reached my breaking point. My faith was flailing. Sometimes, we place our trust and hope in the wrong places. Here, Elijah was placing his trust in his own strength. God could have been angry with Elijah for losing his faith in Him. Instead, God was tender and patient with Elijah. He sent His angels to care for Elijah. If God allows us to reach one of our breaking points, it’s so that our faith will grow. He is our best caretaker. He will reach out to us, when He knows we are too weak to go any further. He may send His “angels” and mysterious blessings into our lives to help carry us, wherever He is leading us. We just need to hold on, with all that we have left. God always steps in at the right time and provides for us in unimaginably magnificent ways.

 Think about the lyrics to this song: Worn by Tenth Avenue North

“I’m tired
I’m worn
My heart is heavy
From the work it takes to keep on breathing

I’ve made mistakes
I’ve let my hope fail
My soul feels crushed
By the weight of this world
And I know that you can give me rest
So I cry out with all that I have left

Let me see redemption win
Let me know the struggle ends…

 And my prayers are wearing thin
I’m worn even before the day begins
I’m worn I’ve lost my will to fight
I’m worn so heaven so come and flood my eyes

Let me see redemption win
Let me know the struggle ends…”

Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for always being there to step in, when the “weight of the world” is too heavy a burden for us to bear on our own. Amen.

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