DAY 5: When It Feels Like It Is All on You, It Never Was
Twice Elijah says, “I am the only one left.”
Underneath that statement is a crushing burden: “If I fall, what happens to God's work?”
But God's kingdom was never resting on Elijah's shoulders. Elijah mattered, but Elijah was not indispensable. He was responsible for obedience. God was responsible for the outcome.
That is true for us too.
You are not the Messiah. Jesus already has that job.
In Matthew 17, Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus on the mountain. Then the voice of the Father says, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” When the disciples look up, Moses and Elijah are gone. Jesus remains.
Elijah was a prophet. Jesus is the Savior.
Elijah feared abandonment, but he was not truly alone. God had preserved seven thousand. Jesus, however, experienced real abandonment on the cross. He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Jesus entered the isolation Elijah only feared so that those who belong to Him would never have to face ultimate separation from God.
Friday looked like failure. Sunday proved God was still working.
Do not write the ending from the middle of the story.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- Where are you carrying a burden that belongs to God?
- Have you believed that everything depends on you?
- How does the cross remind you that Jesus carried what you could never carry?
- How does the resurrection change the way you see your current circumstances?
APPLICATION POINTS
- Name one burden you have been carrying as if it all depends on you.
- Verbally surrender that burden to God in prayer.
- Remind yourself, “I am responsible for obedience. God is responsible for outcomes.”
- Let someone in. Text, call, or speak with one trusted person and be honest about how you are doing.
PRAYER
Jesus, thank You for carrying the weight I could never carry. Forgive me for living as if everything depends on me. Teach me to obey faithfully and trust You with the results. Thank You that because You walked out of the grave, I never have to believe the story is over. Amen.
Whatever this week held, whatever this year has held, God is still working.