Isaiah's Admonitions to Trust!

Day 154: Isaiah 30-33

Our friend Jenny is doing even better this morning. Last night I went to sleep praying for her and her family. Things did not look good when I was going to bed, and many were fearful that this would be her last night. But no! God had other plans. He is working miracles up there, and thousands of people all over the world are praying for her. Thank you, God, for your miracles.

Isaiah reminds us of all the nations who turn away from God, of all the people who don't trust him at his word. These nations will be punished and destroyed and when God destroys all the earth, they will perish. Let's not be one of those people. Let's remain faithful and trusting, fervent in prayer and hopeful that God will restore the earth.

Judgment and Miracles: Introducing Elijah the Prophet

Day 67: I Kings 14 to 17

From now on, the Kingdom of Israel was divided into two: Israel and Judah. There were kings over each and these nations were at war with each other. For the most part, Israel followed God and Judah worshiped Asherah poles and other idols.

And in the midst of all this evil comes Elijah, a prophet. His message is one of the judgment of God. In 17:1, he says that there will be no rain in Israel until he commands it.

Elijah performs several miracles here in chapter 17.
1. He prays to God that it will not rain and it did not rain. He prays to God that God's judgment will fall on Israel. God's nation had disobeyed God, so God was punishing them.

2. During this dry season, God provided for Elijah, and this is where another miracle comes into play. It involves a widow and her family. Elijah asks her for flour and oil, and she was hesitant about giving him any because she barely had any, and they were in a drought. But she did it, and she, her family, and Elijah had enough flour and oil to survive on throughout the drought. The jugs never ran empty.

3. The widow's son dies and she asks Elijah to pray to God to give him back his life. Elijah prays fervently that God will raise the son back to life, and God does it.

Much more is to come from Elijah, but for now we see that he is a man of God who obviously has a close relationship with God.