I'm glad my little story from yesterday brought joy to so many. That's why I shared because it was just too humorous to keep to myself. I cannot tell you how sore I am from that little bitty slip and slide fall. Actually I am just sore on one side...no dancing cheek to cheek for a while. Now to the second point of what robs us from experiencing God's peace.
Do We Have Unrealistic Expectations?
Example of family member’s unrealistic expectations for Christmas and mess that this causes.
When we have unrealistic expectations on others, it puts them in a box where they are required to be a performer, not a person.
I Kings 19
Elijah’s background and story.
• He comes from Tisbeth near Gilead. This is not a place of polish, sophistication, and diplomacy. His manner probably would be very coarse and crude. He’s thrust into the national scene, lives by a brook and is fed by ravens and lives with a widow woman during the time there isn’t any rain. He is probably thinking he is so due.
• Things go bad for Elijah when he is threatened by Jezebel and is so moved by his fear, he doesn’t stop and inquire of the Lord. He hits the ground running and goes to Beersheba where he leaves his servant. Beersheba is 80 miles away from Jezreel. It’s in Judah and about the farthest place to get away.
• Elijah is not thinking realistically or clearly, the threat came from Jezebel, not God.
• Elijah was physically and emotionally exhausted. He’s been living on the edge for quite some time.
• Elijah has to be thinking, “I am so due!”
• Elijah had unrealistic expectations that Ahab and Jezebel were going to come to their senses and worship God. Instead Jezebel threatens Elijah with death.
. As he is sleeping an angel touches him and tells him to get up and eat. The angel has a jar of water and hot bread. I love the details of the Bible. Not just some dry old bread found in Beersheba but fresh, hotly baked bread. I love bread and I think that is why I stop and ponder this, hot bread. Again the angel wakes him and tells him to eat.
Let God set our standards and expectations. Look for ways to affirm, encourage. God is always faithful!
God allows Elijah a time of rest and refreshment. Elijah eats and rests.
We find Elijah in a cave. God asks Him what he is doing there. Elijah whines he is the only one left serving God.
God passes by Elijah at the mountain and a mighty windstorm hits the mountain, tearing rocks loose, then an earthquake and after the earthquake, a fire. God isn’t in any of these, but Elijah hears the sound of a gentle whisper. This is the same mountain where God met Moses. Maybe Elijah was looking for a similar experience? But God deals with us personally and knows how to refresh us, renew us and get us back on the right path.
He goes to the mouth of the cave and God asks him once again, “What are you doing here?” And Elijah whines again about being the only one serving God in all of Israel. Elijah is like Moses in that he goes and investigates the sound of the gentle whisper just as Moses investigated the burning bush.
We need to keep our eyes open to see what God would have us inquire of or investigate.
• Elijah has been living under constant and relentless stress. Emotional exhaustion and unrealistic expectations open the door to SELF PITY.
o Self-pity lies to us
o Self-pity cultivates victim mentality
o Worse case – you wish to die.
• We set ourselves up to establish unrealistic expectations as a standard that neither we nor for that matter anyone else can live up to.
• Exhaustion can make us turn emotional cartwheels
• Fatigue can lead to all sorts of strange imaginations
o Elijah goes a day’s journey into the wilderness where he promptly asks the Lord to take his life and he falls asleep under a tree. Isn’t it ironic that Elijah has run from death only to ask God to kill him?
• Exhaustion and fatigue will make us believe a lie.
God tells Elijah to go back the way he came…go back to where Elijah got off track.
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