Weaned from the World
“And the word of the LORD came to him: ’Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.’"—1 Kings 17:2-4
There are times when we must get away in order to “be still and know that {He} is God”—Psalm 46:10. We must quiet our souls, be weaned off of the things of this world and learn to drink from Christ and be reminded that we are not sustained by anything but “by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD”—Deuteronomy 8:3, cf. Matthew 4:4.
God is our Creator, Savior, Lord, and King. When He calls us, we must obey—and it is in our greatest benefit to do so. By commanding Elijah to get away with Him, He was inviting him to commune with Him, to see His hand at work, and be empowered for the task ahead. By obeying God’s command to get away we come to know who He is, who we are, and what He has purposed us to do—to know and enjoy Him.
The contemporary pastor, John Piper has said, “God is most glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in Him.” By calling us away from this world to commune with Himself, He is weaning us from the things of this world and showing us that we are made for communion with Him. As the great theologian Augustine once wrote, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You."
For us to be used of God, we must spend significant time with God—learning who He is, what He has done, and what He wants to do through us. By going to Cherith, Elijah was being weaned off of the world, stripped of all of his self-sufficiency, self-righteousness, and self-dependence, while at the same time being equipped for the task ahead—helping turn the hearts of the country back to God.
How about us? Are we able to hear the voice of God? Do we need to be weaned from the world to be of use in the Master’s hand? Take time today to quiet your soul to get alone with God. Whether that means turning off your computer, the TV, or closing the newspaper, get alone with God in a quiet place. Spend time reading His Word and praying to Him. If you are a parent and time away is difficult, then be like the great Susanna Wesley, mother of John and Charles Wesley, both founders of the Methodist movement, who had 19 children and still managed to find time to pray. If she couldn’t find a place to get away from the kids, she would stop and drape her apron over her head, which was a sign to the kids to be extra quiet so she could have time in prayer.
Wherever you are, take time to commune with the Lord and be strengthened so that God may receive glory and you may increase in joy. Amen.
There are times when we must get away in order to “be still and know that {He} is God”—Psalm 46:10. We must quiet our souls, be weaned off of the things of this world and learn to drink from Christ and be reminded that we are not sustained by anything but “by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD”—Deuteronomy 8:3, cf. Matthew 4:4.
God is our Creator, Savior, Lord, and King. When He calls us, we must obey—and it is in our greatest benefit to do so. By commanding Elijah to get away with Him, He was inviting him to commune with Him, to see His hand at work, and be empowered for the task ahead. By obeying God’s command to get away we come to know who He is, who we are, and what He has purposed us to do—to know and enjoy Him.
The contemporary pastor, John Piper has said, “God is most glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in Him.” By calling us away from this world to commune with Himself, He is weaning us from the things of this world and showing us that we are made for communion with Him. As the great theologian Augustine once wrote, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You."
For us to be used of God, we must spend significant time with God—learning who He is, what He has done, and what He wants to do through us. By going to Cherith, Elijah was being weaned off of the world, stripped of all of his self-sufficiency, self-righteousness, and self-dependence, while at the same time being equipped for the task ahead—helping turn the hearts of the country back to God.
How about us? Are we able to hear the voice of God? Do we need to be weaned from the world to be of use in the Master’s hand? Take time today to quiet your soul to get alone with God. Whether that means turning off your computer, the TV, or closing the newspaper, get alone with God in a quiet place. Spend time reading His Word and praying to Him. If you are a parent and time away is difficult, then be like the great Susanna Wesley, mother of John and Charles Wesley, both founders of the Methodist movement, who had 19 children and still managed to find time to pray. If she couldn’t find a place to get away from the kids, she would stop and drape her apron over her head, which was a sign to the kids to be extra quiet so she could have time in prayer.
Wherever you are, take time to commune with the Lord and be strengthened so that God may receive glory and you may increase in joy. Amen.
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