What is on
the Spiritual Horizon?
by Mary Lindow
While
attending a gathering of believers who were hungry for a deeper understanding
of truly walking in the Lord's presence, I was shown a vision from the Lord
while a teacher by the name of Peter Stott from the United Kingdom was speaking
in the main session.
The Lord Showed Me in a
Spiritual Sense, A Vision
…of
the time that Elijah was hiding out under the juniper tree. He was afraid, exhausted,
and was really having a rough conversation with God! He had killed a bunch of false prophets with
the sword, he had commanded the rain to not fall for three years, and now, he
was in trouble with Jezebel who was coming to kill him! He was letting God know
that he had been a really good guy and had preached and taught and obeyed God
all this time, and now his life was being threatened! He decided to tell God to
just let him die. He told God that he wasn't any better than the father's in
the faith that had gone on before him. (1 Kings 19:3-4)
The Lord Began to Speak to
Me About the Way Elijah Ran From Responsibility
…and
even left his faithful friend and servant behind to possibly suffer torture or
even be killed! (I kings 19:3) This servant had been sent before all of the
depressed and angry actions of Elijah took place, to go and look towards the
sea one and seven times. Eight times. On the seventh series of running and
looking,
the
servant saw a small cloud about the size of a man's hand. Seven (7) biblically indicates the perfection
of god. Eight (8) indicates new beginnings. God truly perfected the promise of
no rain until the three years had been completed. And Elijah was beginning a
new prophetic season in the near future. One where he would pass on his
ministry to another to finish.
This is Where the Lord
Began to Give Me Insight About This
He
impressed me with the words, "a cloud the size of a man's hand was coming
up from the sea." I asked the Lord, "what does this mean for this
season?" He impressed me with the thought that the cloud although it
appeared small, was moving towards dry land with a purpose. The purpose of
bringing a great rainstorm.
There Was a Much Needed
Breakthrough for Refreshing and Revival to Come to a Parched People and a Dry
Land
And…
a change was needed in the heart of God's man.
The Hand Consists of Five Fingers.
The Lord spoke clearly about this. He said that, "although it looks
as if unity and mutual honor in the body of Christ and among those in it who
move in five fold ministry gifts, seems a long and far way off, I will pull
them together in the midst of a time when evil spirits have taken hold of the
hearts of God's people with fear, passivity, and intentional disobedience, and
will cause a great storm to arise."
This
will stir up a tremendous amount of anger and self-justification among those who
have been poisoned by self indulgence and apathy towards the voice of God. Just like Jezebel was enraged. But, as the
church grows closer and closer to the promised season of harvest, God will not
relent until his people see him act with such strength that they will be repentant
and be delivered from their hardened and selfish hearts.
Elijah Had an Issue With
Hiding and Procrastinating
This
took place earlier than when the 1 Kings chapter 19:3-10 events took place! He
hid by the brook Cherith and was fed by angels and ravens after declaring that
no rain would fall! And...When that word
came to pass...the previous provision of God at the brook stopped being
delivered and the brook dried up
due
to a terrible famine and drought. Again. Elijah ends up in yet another setting
where there was little food and other people were despairing of life. Yet...the
Lord again provides sustenance and fresh oil in a dry and parched setting.
Even
though this glorious time of refreshing occurred and he provisions for
sustenance were miraculous. Elijah was
again challenged and affronted by the woman whom he had ministered to! Her son
after a season had become ill and
died. In 1 Kings
17: 18 She said
to Elijah, "what do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to
remind me of my sin and kill my son?"
Elijah Was Just Getting it
From Everybody on All Sides!
He
could never have a moments rest from all of the needs, demands and cries of the
people! He took the boy up to his room and prayed to god, and the boy was
raised up form the dead. A most amazing miracle! But miracles do not make the man (or woman)
of God! The Wilderness Does!
Basically,
Elijah was holding God responsible for his situation and had spent lot of time
brooding and worrying over all of those people who had been mean to him and
didn't appreciate his hard work! Elijah was also afraid that God would not
protect him and ultimately silence those that pursued him with threats and evil
intentions!
The
Hebrew word for this juniper tree or bush that Elijah was resting under is
"rothem." This was a shrub found everywhere in southern Palestine. It had long
slender branches with small leaves and provided very poor shade or protection
from the sun. And so it goes with our man-made solutions from which we seek
shelter, refuge or solutions to our pain.
Out of Exhaustion, Elijah
Fell Asleep
God
has ordained sleep and rest as necessary for our survival and ability to
function, so the Lord allowed a time of sleep before He brought on the next
phase of his provision for Elijah. How
amazing! God remembers that we are
frail. He knows our make up and that we
are but dust. He is fully aware that we have material bodies that must be cared
for, often, before the spiritual part can function
Ps. 103:14 As a father has compassion on his children, So
the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; For he knows how we are formed, He
remembers that we are dust.
Before we expect too much from ourselves……or from others whom we are seeking to encourage with the word, let's remember this principle of the need for rest, and that sometimes the physical needs to be cared for before spiritual events can occur.
Mary Lindow
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