Deep Breaths

1 Kings 19:^1-3 “…Ahab… told Jezebel everything Elijah had done. including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal. 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…” Elijah was afraid and fled for his life…”

The name Elijah means my God is my breath. How close is your breath? So, since God was with Elijah, what would have happened if he stood? Where will God be? Right there with him. Jezebel would not have been able to overpower him or even kill him because God is right there with him. Secondly, did you notice that Elijah actually never died? The very thing Elijah feared most never happened throughout his life. He did not see death. The very same thing that made him afraid and made him run, the very same thing he prayed to God for, never happened. I can almost hear God’s response to Elijah’s prayer, ‘Relax son, you will not even die’.

When Elijah’s time on earth was done, death did not come for him. God sent chariots of fire chauffeur driven by angels to carry him. Elijah did not die. So, those things you are afraid of, God is saying, you are not even going to taste them so leave fear alone. Elijah was anxious for nothing because what he feared never came to pass. God says in Philippians 4:⁶ “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (NKJV). There are three possible outcomes when it comes to what we fear. The first is, like Elijah, what we fear mostly never happens.

Elijah feared he would die, in fact, he made it a prayer point, he told God to kill him. Thank God that He does not answer all our prayers. The second possible outcome is that it happens, but it is not as bad as we expected, because we have been strengthened by God to deal with the situation. A child gains admission into an Ivy League school and the parents become anxious because the school is expensive. But before the child resumes, they just keep getting inflows. And when it is time to pay the fees, they do not even have to pray before writing the cheque. They write the cheque and give God thanks. Some people even forget to thank God. So, it actually happened but they were empowered to sort it out.

The third outcome is the worst-case scenario happens, and it is more than your capacity. If that happens then God will carry you through. So, there is really nothing to be afraid of. Your God is Yahweh, and He is your breath. So, what do you do when everything is threatening to cave in, when you have done all you can, and it appears nothing is working? You breathe, knowing that God is your breath, and you stand. Just breathe and stand.

Prayer (song): I stand, I stand in awe of You. I stand, I stand in awe of You. Holy God, to whom all praise is due, I stand in awe of You. Amen!