Posted on July 23, 2023 Posted By: HCCCategories: journey
Heartland Community Church
THE JOURNEY
Finding God When He’s Absent
By Shelly Huston
While I’m not a mountain climber, I’ve reached a few apex moments throughout my walk of faith. In those seasons where I’ve experienced significant breakthroughs, natural and supernatural things seem to align perfectly. It’s exhilarating and humbling to know that he’s set before you a path, and you’re walking in it.
However, scripture also reflects great men of faith also experienced seasons where God hid his face. It seems there are two primary outcomes when this happens:
a) We long for his presence and seek him all the harder; or
b) We grow content without him.
I, too, have known times when God seemed far away. While I’ve never spoken in great detail about some very low points, my parents were there to walk with me, weep with me, and uphold me spiritually and physically when my whole world shattered. My parents were God’s hands and feet in my life, offering sobering provision when I was too weak to stand, fight and sometimes even move.
During that sad season, I would run to the altar at church, throw myself at the feet of my God, and intercede. Not for my own life or well-being but for the lives of others. To pray for our leaders and for our congregation. I would pray for the health of lives and ministries, even though mine was not in a great state then. (1 Timothy 2:1-2)
While this faith-stretching journey was not my favorite, God granted great mercy to me and produced it in me. He brought me out of a dark wilderness and set my feet on a firmer path.
This morning Dan noted that it’s a kindness of God to let you exhaust yourself of all that you think you need to do or be before he brings you out of the wilderness.
Don’t stay in the wilderness any longer than necessary. Elijah had to wander the wilderness three times longer than required to bring him to a place of attention.
Whether you are wandering the internet today and just stumbled onto this nugget by accident, or perhaps you’re coming to the end of a wilderness season and need refreshment? You’ve found an excellent place to be. Please take this ‘Journey’ with us, from your wilderness, into his refreshing presence. Walk with us, away from what was, and possibly into what’s to come.
The Story of Elijah
What is the story of Elijah about? For context, watch as our friends from the Bible Project explain his life and the surrounding events in this summary of 1 and 2 Kings.
Elijah is awakened and offered food/provision for a journey ahead. What do you notice in this interaction? What gives you pause, or raises questions? What is encouraging to you? What is one thing you will take from this teaching to apply in your life?
First time through: What do you notice about Moses and his approach toward God? What do you notice about his circumstances and the other characters in the story?
Second time through: Look for the presence of God in Moses’ story. Where do you see it? Where do you see opportunity for Moses to find God? What do you notice in God’s description of their interactions and his protections (or boundaries)?
Third time through: What is God saying to you, through this story and the things you are noticing? Where in your story might there be opportunity to find God when he is distant? Where are you wandering away from God? Where might you draw near, or move toward the place God most likely is? Consider one thing you are willing to do about the things you’ve learned this week, and share it with a friend.
{extra journey resources}
CLICK HERE to visit The Bible Project site and explore their super simple, super informative Bible videos (and other resources). You can also download The Bible Project App HERE.
CLICK HERE to get the Read Scripture App, from our friends at The Bible Project.
CLICK HERE for more on how to use the observe-reflect-apply approach to getting the most out of your Bible reading.
The Bible App Get the free YouVersion Bible for your phone, tablet, or computer. Experience the Bible anywhere, with options to highlight, save notes, and share what you are reading with others.
The Bible App For Kids YouVersion partnered with OneHope to develop the Bible App for Kids, designing it specifically to engage children with Bible stories on an age-appropriate level. The Bible App for Kids is a free app for Android, Apple, and Kindle devices, available in over 60 languages.
Bible Gateway Provides advanced Bible searching capabilities, which allow readers to find passages in scripture based on keywords, phrases, or scripture reference.
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