When We Have Said: "I Have Had Enough....Lord"

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Have you ever had seasons where you find yourself crying out "enough...I've had enough Lord."

It's reassuring to know that in I Kings 19:4 Elijah was crying that same cry:

Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day.  He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, Lord," he said.  "Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died."

It's not as if the Lord doesn't know already the place we have come to in our exasperated cries.  

Psalm 34:17 shows us so clearly that He hears:

"The righteous cry out and the Lord hears....

What should our response be during these times of depleted energy, weariness, pressures of living life, and the I've-just-had-enough-of-this cries?

For me, I must find a place to be alone and just be still.  A quiet place to reflect with confidence when the burners are turned up full blast and I have the need to run away.  During this time, I remember He is working all of this out for some redeeming value - mostly an inward work in me - reminding me who is greater.

I know I cannot get to this place on my own.  It's difficult for me to lead myself to a place of peace.  It takes an intentional effort on my part to walk away from my overactive thoughts, fears and worries, to take a "time out" and enter into the peace that only God can give me.

Only when I still my soul and know that He is God - the key word being "know", can I be set in the right direction - the direction of peace.

You will find in verse 5 of I Kings 19 that after this outcry, "he lay down under the tree and fell asleep."  Wouldn't that be nice?

Your Turn

If you happen to be in that place of weariness today, take the time to be still and reflect on God's Word.  When you do this, it will still your anxiousness and everything that weighs so heavily on your heart.

Your circumstances may not change, but you will find the strength and peace you need to just keep walking.

"Come with me by yourself to a quiet place" - Mark 6:31

"Be still before the Lord" - Zechariah 2:13

"True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction" - Psalm 23:3

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ADVENTURE

This writing today is from a special friend - Sara Chambers.  You can visit her Facebook Community page "Healthiest Mama".  I love her take on adventure.

Adventure: an undertaking usually involving danger & unknown risks: the encountering of risks <the spirit of adventure>: an exciting or remarkable experience. 
Matthew 4:19 Come follow me and I will send you out to fish.

I (Sara) love the definition of adventure. It’s almost exactly opposite of how I’d naturally want to define it. My definition would be: excitement, thrill, exploring the unknown! All positives. Oh, so romantic.

The fact is that this lifelong adventure called “faith”, this adventure of following Jesus is scary, hard, and full of risk and the unknown.

I've had my share of adventures- moving to Indonesia to plant a church, traveling to Afghanistan to volunteer with helping rebuild the government & working in a Mother Theresa home for the destitute and the dying in India to name just a few. But all of these adventures I’ve been on were all just an outward expression of an inner working of faith happening inside of me.

My husband likes to say that life with God is full of adventures and risks and leaps of faith. And sometimes these adventures involve suffering. Sometimes you’re stuck out at sea scooping out water with your hands in a little canoe in the middle of a horrendous storm with no end in sight.
There’s pain when things don’t go how we had planned or expected. Or when we’re abandoned by our shipmates. Or when a big ship that could save us, passes us by.

But, sometimes the adventure is glorious and you’re praising Him from the middle of the ocean while watching a sunset with a view that only a person that was crazy enough to follow Him to the middle of the ocean would have.

Jesus says, “Come follow me” and all He asks for in our response is “Yes, I will follow You”. Day after day after year after year we say “yes” to Him over and over again. Sometimes it’s a tiny whisper and other times an echoing shout. And each time He is pleased.

What adventure are you currently in and how are you responding to the difficulties of it?

Is God calling you to a new adventure? Will you say “yes” again?


Prayer: Lord I will follow You again today. I will say “yes” to Your ways. Thank you that You know all of my days and that You see every step of faith I take for You. Thank you that You are PLEASED when I say, “I will follow You”.
Teach me to fish for souls.

Will Never Forget

We were all packed up and ready to take my youngest daughter Haylee back to college in Eastern Pennsylvania.  On this particular trip back, my parents wanted to come and take a look at Haylee's campus and dormitory for her sophomore year of school.

It took us much longer to arrive than we had expected.  Along the way, my dad had to stop numerous times to use the bathroom.  His bladder was signaling to him that he had to go but in reality, he couldn't.  I couldn't figure out why we were stopping so often, thinking "is dad drinking too much soda or what?" Anxiety began to creep in that we wouldn't reach our destination at a decent time.  It never occurred to me that there was a problem, until my dad was in excruciating pain because of his bladder.

We stopped at a rest area just inside the Pennsylvania border.  I was adamant that my dad and mom should travel back to Michigan even telling my dad to drive Haylee's car back. Instead, we decided to find an emergency room because he wasn't sure if he could make it back.

God was going ahead of us on this one.  In Sharon PA, we found an urgent care center just a few miles off the expressway.  I was relieved to see that it was not busy.  My dad was taken into a unit to have his bladder drained.  They fitted him with a leg bag and a catheter.  Feeling relieved, we were soon on our way again.

My parents did get to see Haylee's campus, dorm room and meet some of her friends on that adventure.  It wasn't until two months later we received the awful news that my dad had stage IV prostate cancer.  I remember sitting in the office with my parents, my sister and myself when the doctor broke the news to us.  "Well", he said, the horse is out of the barn".  Meaning, there's nothing we can do but try to prolong my dad's life a little bit more.

My mom, sister and I walked with heavy hearts back to the waiting room while my dad underwent some lab tests.  We were stunned, shocked, our world had been severely shaken.

Through all the chemo, radiation, holistic treatments, juicing programs, labs, x-rays and much more, my dad was a trouper.  He would witness cheerfully to the medical staff taking care of him and was never a problem patient.  His focus was always on others not himself.

My dad eventually became bedridden because of the cancer, not able to attend church and share his warm, inviting presence with the church family, visit our home or travel to our cabin up north.  He was sorely missed.

Many came to visit my dad at home.  During their visit, he would talk about life, his family, and his God.  He never bemoaned his condition or felt sorry for himself. Not my dad.  He encouraged those who came to visit, inspiring them on to live a greater life for God and ending their time in prayer and praise.  How like my papa.

During his last days, he wasn't aware of his family around him.  My papa was already experiencing a little bit of Heaven as he lay dying. He was entering into that great and glorious heavenly home.  I remember him saying "all those books."  We were certain he was seeing the library in heaven with "all those books."

His gaze was continuously directed to the upper corner of his room, as if he was seeing events we could not see.

Finally, his breathing became labored, his last gasp of air was exhaled and my papa was taken to a better place.

That day will forever be etched in my memory.  

My dad was a hero in life, and he was a hero in death.