Mon.’s Devo - A New Order

Read: 1 Kings 19:1-21; Acts 12:1-23; Psalm 136:1-26; Proverbs 17:14-15
Ahab come home awestruck by what he had witnessed but Jezebel was there to strike him down from his spiritual high. Elijah was hopeful of a national repentance but instead was threatened and had to flee for his life. He ended up under a broom tree in Beersheba ready to quit. This was the same place that Hagar found herself when she had been kicked out of Abraham’s house. God sustained her and Ishmael and so God did for Elijah. An angel woke him up twice and fed him and gave him drink that would sustain him for the 40 day trek to the mountain of Horeb. Horeb is the mountain range that has Mt. Sinai where God gave Moses the law.
God told Elijah to go and stand on the mountain because He was about to pass by. Elijah witnessed destructive winds, an earthquake and a fire, but God was not in any of them. Then he heard the whisper of God and went outside where God gave him instructions. He sent him to anoint Hazel king over Aram, Jehu king over Israel and Elisha to succeed him as prophet. He encouraged him with the fact that there were 7,000 people in Israel who had remained faithful to him.
Elijah left and met Elisha first. Elisha was plowing with 12 oxen when Elijah threw his mantle on him. No doubt, these oxen were his inheritance and his occupation. He had to sacrifice them and completely burn them to follow his new calling.
It is so easy to get distracted by the bad events happening in our world, but if we will just wait, God will whisper peace to our hearts and give us his instruction. We cannot save the world, but we can do what God calls us to do and that is enough. God is in control of the rest.
In Acts, Peter is thrown in prison again but this time Herod has him more heavily guarded. There are four squads of soldiers assign to him and he is chained between two guards. An angel comes and springs him out of jail and saves his life. Herod is furious and has the guards killed. He leaves for Caesarea and there his pride kills him…literally.
God knows how to preserve us and protect us. We don’t ever have to fear the enemy.
Lord, help us to boldly proclaim the truth.