*Breathe Your Life Into Me...* - New Study-udy-udy!!!

Jan. 22, 2008

New Study-udy-udy!!!

Hard Times

Do you ever feel like you are hopeless and alone? Maybe your family and the place you live don't seem much like how awesome lives seem on TV. Maybe you live in an unhappy home and you feel like God is so far away from you, and you feel like he can't hear you. Why does he seem so far away? Psalm 42 tells how the writer felt when he was going through hard times.

Psalm 42: As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.

2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?

3 My tears have been my food
       day and night,
       while men say to me all day long,
       "Where is your God?"

4 These things I remember
       as I pour out my soul:
       how I used to go with the multitude,
       leading the procession to the house of God,
       with shouts of joy and thanksgiving
       among the festive throng.

5 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
       Why so disturbed within me?
       Put your hope in God,
       for I will yet praise him,
       my Savior and

6 my God.
       My soul is downcast within me;
       therefore I will remember you
       from the land of the Jordan,
       the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.

7 Deep calls to deep
       in the roar of your waterfalls;
       all your waves and breakers
       have swept over me.

8 By day the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.

9 I say to God my Rock,
       "Why have you forgotten me?
       Why must I go about mourning,
       oppressed by the enemy?"

10 My bones suffer mortal agony
       as my foes taunt me,
       saying to me all day long,
       "Where is your God?"

11 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
       Why so disturbed within me?
       Put your hope in God,
       for I will yet praise him,
       my Savior and my God.

Notice how honest the writer is with God about how he feels (Psalm 42:9-10). Are you that honest with God? You don't have to pretend th him that things are okay, even when they aren't.

Read about it!

Read 1 kings 19:1-18. Elijah has had a long, hard day. He spent all day on mount carmel (1 kings 18:16-40). In the evening, he rebuilt the Lord's altar and offered sacrifice. Then he climbed to the top of the mountain. And finally he ran all the way to the city of Jezreel ahead of Ahab's chariot--in the rain. Sounds like an Iron-Man competition!

But now, wicked queen Jezebel says she will kill Elijah. So Elijah panics and runs for his life. He has gone through a lot and is tired out. Elijah says, "I have had enough" (1 Kings 19:4)

Then God steps in. Elijah thinks he is the only person left who worships the real God (1 Kings 19:14), but God tells him there are still 7,000 Godly people in Israel (1 Kings 19:18).

When you feel alone, sometimes you only think you're alone. Or maybe things seem bad because you are really tired, and you need a good sleep, like Elijah did.

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Comments

Jan. 26, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Caity

Very good post!

In Christ,
Caity