I Kings 17:17-23 (NKJV)
Oftentimes, those around us blame and criticize us for minor things we do wrong. I am not good at receiving criticism and I try hard to do things right. I am very human. Because I hate criticism for my mistakes, I try not to pass criticism on to others. I usually ‘fix’ what is out of order and I do not tell others I found their mistake.
That’s probably the reason I noticed in today’s scripture that when Elijah was visiting the widow and her son, and her son became ill the woman ‘blamed’ the prophet Elijah.
In I Kings 17: 17-18, “Now it happened after these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick. And his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him. So she said to Elijah, “What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?”
The widow had a problem and she ascertained that her son was well before the prophet came and after he came her son became ill, therefore, her son’s illness was the prophet’s fault. I would say for some reason she had issues with some unknown thing and she was shining the light of blame on Elijah.
Elijah acted swiftly to resolve the problem. In I Kings 17:19-23 we read, “And he said to her, “Give me your son.” So he took him out of her arms and carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. Then he cried out to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her son?” And he stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the Lord and said, “O Lord my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him.” Then the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived. And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives!”
Elijah did not argue with the widow.
He did not ask her “What is your problem?”
It seems to me that the prophet did not accept any form of blame for the problem.
Elijah decided to be part of the solution.
He turned to God.
He surrendered it.
The truth is that Elijah knew that while there are problems that come up in this world, nothing is too big that God can’t handle. So, Elijah turned the problem over to God and asked for a miracle.
Elijah did ask God ‘why’ God brought tragedy into this home. But he didn’t dwell on it. Immediately after he asked why he asked God to bring the child back to life. Elijah knew God was (IS) the source of life and he asked God to bring life back to the child.
God heard Elijah and answered with a mighty miracle. God gave the body of the child his soul back and the child breathed again.
Elijah made raising someone from the dead look easy.
I learned early on in life from my dad that when I have a problem that can’t be easily handled, I need to pray about it. I think my dad must have told me a thousand times, “give it to God and surrender it.”
That’s exactly what Elijah did. He turned to God and surrendered it.
I have to admit that after hearing “give it to God and surrender it” a lot of times when I was a child, by the time I was a teenager I had grown ‘snarky’ about it. I already knew what my dad was going to say, and when he said it I would walk away repeating those words to myself, ‘give it to God...Give it to God...give it to God.”
I think my dad knew eventually I would outgrow my teenage ‘snarky’ years and if God granted a miracle, I would finally really start ‘giving my problems to God and surrendering it.’
I am quite certain that my dad prayed for me asking God to remind me to turn to Him and surrender it. I think he prayed for a miracle of remembrance for me.
God answered.
It did eventually take hold and at some point when I had problems pop up I started giving it to God and surrender it.
Another miracle happened as well.
Because I’d heard ‘give it to God and surrender it’ SO MANY TIMES, I found myself telling my kids to ‘give it to God and surrender it’.
I don’t know that I was as patient as my dad was, but I did (do) find myself saying it a lot. I also think that my children ‘remember’ it today and pass it on to their children when they have a problem that seems insurmountable.
That folks, is a miracle that keeps on giving!
Today’s Spiritual Practice is: Give it to God and surrender it.
I am so grateful that my dad repeated those words to me over and over again. Today’s practice is for us to repeat ‘give it to God and surrender it’ as many times as you remember to say it. If you are facing an insurmountable problem today, give that specific problem to God and surrender it.
I promise you will be blessed with a miracle!
God Bless, Deborah
acrazyjourney.com
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