In The Name

Philippians 4:^6-7 “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds…”

Jezebel needed those false prophets to uphold her tyranny and her manipulations. Jezebel needed to surround herself with those eight hundred and fifty false prophets to be who she was. The false prophets were Jezebel’s backbone and Elijah took all of them out. So, why should Elijah be afraid of Jezebel? Why should he think the God that stood with him will not stand with him? Even though God had been present, God had provided, and God had protected Elijah, Elijah still forgot God. We need to pause and stop and just thank God for what He has done. There is no way you will thank God for what He has done and forget God. It is impossible. There is no way you will thank God for what He has done and allow what you are currently going through drown you and make you forget God.

The name Elijah means my God is Yahweh and the Yahweh is from the concept of breath. So, Elijah’s name literally means my God is my breath. When you are anxious and you are worried and you feel that you can’t breathe, you have shortness of breath. What you need to do is remember that your God is your breath, your God is your breath. When facing your fears, you cannot afford to forget your God because your God is your breath. Can you forget your breath? Did you forget your breath at home today, or in the car? The moment anyone stops breathing, they are gone! Elijah means my God is my breath but when Elijah was faced with trouble, he forgot his breath. When we feel we have had enough, what we do speaks volumes.

The question is, of these four anxieties causing mistakes – running ourselves down, shutting people out, focusing on the negatives, and forgetting God, which mistake do you struggle with the most? Guess what? When Elijah was falling apart, it is interesting that God did not rebuke him. God did not even ask where his faith was. God did not rebuke him or chastise him. God met Elijah at the point of his need. God says you are hungry. Take food, eat. You need water. Take water, and drink. Sometimes, the solution to depression is to drink water or to eat.

Sometimes, the solution is not spiritual. Sometimes, it is just caring, a hug and you are fine. And that is very instructive. Isaiah 46:⁴ “I will be your God throughout your lifetime—until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.”

Prayer (song): I worship You, Almighty God. There is none like You. I worship You, O Prince of Peace. That is what I want to do. I give You praise, for You are my righteousness… Amen!