In our previous post, we observed that Jesus knew the value of rest. God the Father too gave us an example by resting on the seventh day. Keep in mind, all this talk of health is so you do not die prematurely. It is possible that those who die before their time will fail to fulfill God’s purpose for creating them. We call the series Divine Health and we started it at the beginning of the year. Today, we want to consider the prophet who forgot to rest.
He was a powerful and prominent prophet of God. His ministry experienced miracles like no one else before him. And yet, he did not fulfil God’s purpose for his life. We have already come across him on this journey. If you have been with us for some time, you will know we are speaking of Elijah. That prophet prophesied, he trained other prophets, he terrorized evil, stopped and started rain, he even called down fire. It seemed there was no aspect of ministry that Elijah left out.
He ran faster than a chariot when he needed to. But he did not complete his divine assignment. How do we know this? So glad you asked. When he started to burn out, his perspective became so wrong that he felt he was the only one serving God. If that complaint sounds familiar, it may be that you are like the prophet who forgot to rest.
This is so much like most men and women in ministry. Nowadays, even those who are not in ministry are like that. We feel that we must complete a task, whether or not such a task is divine. And because God is not with us in it, it seems the more we do, the less we achieve.
Elijah Remembered Everything Else But Forgot To Rest.
And then, in an effort to try and show results, we strive harder and forget to rest. Naturally, what happened to Elijah is likely to happen to us. Soon after he complained to God, God terminated his ministry. He gave him instructions to hand over to three others. That should show us how powerful Elijah was – he was doing the work of three people. And yet, because he forgot to rest, he did not complete God’s calling upon his life. Jehu, Hazael and Elisha had to take over his duties from him.
How about you and I? Will we forget rest and leave our ministry unfilled for somebody else to come and complete it? Somebody once said, referring to Moses, that God buries His officers but His work continues. Stop thinking like Elijah that the work depends on how hard you work or how fast you run. It does not even depend on how long you pray or how much you fast.
The battle is not to the mighty and the race is not to the fast. This is a simple fact of life that even non-Christian religions know. The Moslems for example call people to prayer by asking them to leave aside the hustle and bustle of life. How much more we whose maker rested as an example to us? We whose big brother, Jesus, rested. Whatever your calling, please do not be like Elijah who forgot to rest. That way, you will live long and fulfill purpose.
To your health!
Maranatha!
