It's easy to wonder what God is doing when you feel stuck. Maybe you are in a job or a financial situation that seems stifling. Or maybe it's a season in your life where you feel disconnected from other people—as a new mother or a shut-in who is confined to the home. You long for the next step in your life, but you feel trapped in the present.
It is our natural instinct to want to break free from what we see as a holding pattern in life. We want to progress; we want to move on to that next exciting adventure. We feel that we should be doing something important instead of safely passing time in a hiding place.
Elijah had been called by God, yet he was hidden from the very people he was called to serve.
Yet that is not how God wants us to view our situation. Repeatedly, throughout the Bible, God hid away His servants just before they did something great for Him.
Elijah was eager to minister to others, yet God held him back for three years. During Elijah's time, the people of God had reached one of their lowest points in history as they voiced their allegiance to God, yet dabbled in pagan religions. So God sent Elijah to bring His children back to Himself.
Elijah had his work cut out for him. You can imagine his excitement at the prospect of doing such important work for God—and one of his first tasks was confronting the king himself. Yet immediately after that experience, God sent Elijah into hiding (see 1 Kings 17:2-4).
You can imagine how perplexed Elijah must have been. He had been called by God, yet he was hidden from the very people he was called to serve. As confusing and frustrating as it may have been for Elijah to passively wait for the next step, God was working in his life. No matter what Elijah felt or questioned about his circumstances, he faithfully followed God's direction.
Prayer: God, help me to view my time of waiting from Your perspective. Help me to be faithful to follow Your direction even if it doesn't make sense to me. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry" (Psalm 40:1).
Learn more in Dr. Michael Youssef's sermon How God Works, Part 1: LISTEN NOW
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