DRAWING NEAR
September 22
Dealing with Despair
"Take the helmet of salvation" (Eph. 6:17).
Your helmet of salvation protects you from discouragement and
dispair.
We've seen how Satan attacks believers with his two-edged sword of
doubt and discouragement. But he doesn't stop there. He tries to take
you beyond discouragement to despair by robing you of hope. Unless
you're careful, his attacks will be successful when you're
battle-weary.
The prophet Elijah is an illustration of that truth. The highlight of
his ministry came atop Mount Carmel, where he slew 450 prophets of
Baal (1 Kings 18:40). Yet immediately after that great victory, he
fled for his life because Queen Jezebel threatened to kill him (1
Kings 19:1-3).
He ran from Mount Carmel into the wilderness of Beersheba, where he
"sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he
might die, and said, 'It is enough; now, O Lord, take my life, for I
am not better than my fathers'" (v. 4). He went on to moan, "I have
been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of
Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, torn down Thine altars and killed
Thy prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my
life, to take it away" (v. 10).
Elijah lost hope because he failed to see his circumstances through
the eyes of faith; he was attempting to fight the battle on his own.
He allowed himself to become emotionally, physically, and spiritually
spent, and became overwhelmed with self-pity. He felt utterly alone.
But God hadn't abandoned Elijah. He was still in control and His
people were numerous (v. 18). But Elijah had, in effect, removed his
helmet of salvation and received a near-fatal blow to his confidence
in God's blessing on his life.
There may be times when, like Elijah, you lose your confidence and
doubt God's faithfulness. At such times, putting on the helmet of
salvation means taking your eyes off your circumstances and trusting
in God's promises. You may not always sense His presence or
understand what He's doing, but be assured He will never leave you or
forsake you (Heb. 13:5) and His purposes will always be accomplished
(Rom. 8:28).
Suggestions for Prayer:
Praise God for His unchanging character and irrevocable promises.
For Further Study:
Read Isaiah 40:29-31 and Galatians 6:9.
What promises are given in those passages?
In what specific ways do they apply to your life?
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
(NKJV)
1 Kings 18:40
40 And Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let
one of them escape!" So they seized them; and Elijah brought them
down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there.
1 Kings 19:1-18
19:1 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had
executed all the prophets with the sword.
2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So let the gods
do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of
one of them by tomorrow about this time."
3 And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to
Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came
and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and
said, "It is enough! Now, LORD, take my life, for I am no better than
my fathers!"
5 Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel
touched him, and said to him, "Arise and eat."
6 Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals,
and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again.
7 And the angel of the LORD came back the second time, and touched
him, and said, "Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for
you."
8 So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of
that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain
of God.
9 And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place;
and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him,
"What are you doing here, Elijah?"
10 So he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts;
for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down
Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am
left; and they seek to take my life."
11 Then He said, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before the
LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind
tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the
LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an
earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake;
12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the
fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his
mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a
voice came to him, and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
14 And he said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts;
because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down
Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am
left; and they seek to take my life."
15 Then the LORD said to him: "Go, return on your way to the
Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king
over Syria.
16 "Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over
Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall
anoint as prophet in your place.
17 "It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will
kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill.
18 "Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees
have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him."
Hebrews 13:5
5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such
things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you
nor forsake you."
Romans 8:28
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who
love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Isaiah 40:29-31
29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He
increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall
utterly fall,
31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They
shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be
weary, They shall walk and not faint.
Galatians 6:9
9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we
shall reap if we do not lose heart.
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
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and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
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In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
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To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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