Look Up

So Elijah went and found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field. There were twelve teams of oxen in the field, and Elisha was plowing with the twelfth team. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak across his shoulders and then walked away. (1 Kings 19:19)

Thanks to God's kind and gentle dealing, Elijah crawled out of the cave. "He departed from there." God graciously nurtured him through rest and refreshment, gave him some wise counsel, and made him feel significant again. Talk about compassion!

Then God allowed Elijah to pass his mantle to Elisha, his successor. But God did more than that, abundantly more. For Elisha "arose and followed Elijah and ministered to him." God not only gave Elijah a successor; He also raised up a close, personal friend—someone who loved Elijah and understood him well enough to help and encourage him.

God has not designed us to live like hermits in a cave. He has designed us to live in friendship, fellowship, and community with others. That's why the church, the body of Christ, is so very important, for it is there that we are drawn together in love and mutual encouragement. We're meant to be a part of one another's lives. Otherwise, we pull back, focusing on ourselves—thinking how hard we have it or how unfair others are.

Elijah reminds us to look up:

Let's look up after the Lord graciously delivers us from depression.
Let's look up when He allows us rest and refreshment following an exhausting schedule that has taken its toll on us.
Let's look up and thank Him when He gently and patiently speaks to us from His Word after we've climbed out of a pit of self-pity.
Let's look up and praise Him when He faithfully provides the companionship and affirmation of a friend who understands and encourages us.
Let's look up and acknowledge the Giver more than the gift.

Let's say, "Thank You, Lord, for telling us all about Elijah," who is an unforgettable example that there is nowhere to look but up.

Taken from Great Days with the Great Lives by Charles Swindoll. Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll. Used by permission of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. www.harpercollinsch

Drawn Out of Death

 As fear of the Hebrews taking over Egypt gripped Pharaoh’s heart, he commanded that all Jewish baby boys be killed. Certainly that would stop their population from increasing (or so he thought). Moses’ mother tried hiding him for three months, but ultimately obeyed Pharaoh’s command and threw him in the Nile River, but not to drown. Instead, she placed him in a basket and hid him among the reeds. Miriam, the baby’s older sister, kept an eye on that basket.

Miraculously, the basket was discovered by Pharaoh’s daughter, who immediately fell in love with the Hebrew child. She sent her servant to retrieve the baby and then decided she was going to raise him and call him her son. Seeing an opportunity, his sister spoke up and offered to find a Jewish woman to nurse the child. When the princess said “yes” to her offer, Miriam told her mom, and Moses spent the first few years of his life being raised by his own mother and an Egyptian princess. Interestingly, Pharaoh’s daughter named the child Moses, which means “to be drawn out of death into life.”

Friend, you too have been drawn out of death and into life! The moment you received Jesus Christ as your Savior, Satan’s attempt to destroy you was nailed to the cross and redeemed. Yes, you will face trying circumstances and dark moments, but the God of angel armies is working on your behalf to orchestrate an outcome that is beyond comprehension. No matter what, stand firm and know that the Lord is on your side. He is taking care of you and working all things together for your good! Bobby Schuler