God’s Blessing and Life’s Blasting

There are times in life when you find yourself almost feeling like you hanging upside down in the natural question at that time like this when I was on a fast God, why I am not talking here about the pain that results from this allegiance.

I'm talking about being in the very middle of the will of God doing God's work. The best way you know how to live once. Seems to be going to blow you away. Thank you for joining Dr. Michael you set for leading weight, body like what Dr. you sent mention just a moment ago. Maybe the events of the past few years to ask God to be very why you're serving God you're making a difference for the gospel and then nowhere boom. The phone call the doctor visit or even COBIT and it came out of nowhere On leading the way.

Dr. Michael UNICEF reveals how to deal with life when things seem to be going sideways. Also, do remember that leading the way is listener supported. We were lying on your prayers and on God's provision through the generosity of people like you.

So learn ways that you can stand with Dr. yourself when you call 866-626-4356 and online where LTW.org. Now let's investigate the life of Elijah with Dr. Michael UNICEF read the story over Cathedral in Europe will become famous worldwide because of a stained-glass window looked towered above its older people came from all over the world to come and see the magnificent stained-glass window.

Nothing like it in the world. But one day a violent storm shot of the beautiful window into a thousand pieces in the trust custodian was so reluctant to throw away the fragments of the gingerly picked them up and put them in a box and store them in the basement of the church, a well-known artist came to the church and he petitioned the trustees to give him the fragments and not know what he wants to do with them. He took them and went back to his studio in two years later he invited the trustees to come because he was going to unveil some of his major works, and so when they came to their other amazement of astonishment, he unveiled the restored stained-glass window because it looked more magnificent look more beautiful than ever was before. This method is not incredible how most of us at some point have experienced the blasting of a storm in our lives in the midst of God's blessing. If you haven't been there already. Or if you are going through that right now I want to tell you if you have not already experience God's restoration, God's restoration work, you will not tell you about the mere thought of God's word because God specializes in restoring fragments of life into a magnificent and more beautiful way of living God specializes in remaking beauty out of ashes and live the blasting on the blessing somehow seem to go hand-in-hand in life, trial and triumph somehow working very close succession. In fact, that is precisely what is happening at this very point in the lives of the men of God. The larger the lodges only in exhibit a here just an object lesson we see how God works in life of one over servants we saw in the last message how God led a larger the land of bail worshiping does not affect the fast, the Phoenician city.

The city just south of Lebanon.

There, God gave you large an opportunity for exercise risking sites. Not only that but he got them to challenge a pagan woman a bail worshiping woman who does not know Yahweh. He challenged her to do. Risking face at the promise of God's man. She also risked her life trusting in God alone. Zada fast the city. This really means melting because they're very melted metals in the city is distinct very God is melting the flash out of his man taking away all the dross of the flash and purifying Herman here today to see a larger amount of God moving from being tested in a passive way to being tested actively on the most of us don't like the active testing on nova because I'm one of but here we got to see how in the midst of God's blessings where the flower keeps coming every day with you all will just keeps pouring out every day comes testing and calamity of this in first Kings chapter 17 beginning at verse 17, the Phoenician woman and her son and the prophet of God were experiencing a daily medical daily blessing better provision dog were just giving them daily blessing right in the midst of it read of how the son of this Phoenician woman this pagan widow who risks faith according to the word of God from the mouth of the man of God. We see how her son became ill and then he dies. No other human words leads us to know about what it means in Hebrew word means.

His soul left him. He was dead as a daughter, and there is no fainting.

He was dead. Verse 18 the woman said. Three. Larger what you have against me. Oh man of God, did you come to remind me of my sins. I killed my son. I wanted to listen to me very carefully.

Please because I know that some Christians have mixed up views on this. Ask God why is a very natural thing and don't ever let anybody allow yourself to deceive yourself of thinking that you are committing a sin against God. When you asked a simple question why why is a natural question recall the words of the Lord Jesus when he hung on Calvary and he asked his father, my God, my God, why has thou forsaken me, and I want to tell you if God's own son asked why, so don't let people put you under guilt trip when you ask God why it is a natural question. I know that there are times in life when the highest dreams get crushed.

There are times in life when the best of hopes get back.

There are times in life when you find yourself almost feeling like you you hanging upside down in the natural question that time like this when I was on a fast God, why, and convinced the long hard as I began to pray and put my notes together. This question must be pounding the doors of heaven broken hearted people everywhere that rises from hospital wards and rises from lonely bedrooms and it rises from the gravesites enterprises from each personal guest 71 a troubled soul pleads in private agony. I wanted to him a ride please. I am not talking here about the pain that results from disobedience. I'm not talking here about the grief that is the natural consequence of sin and rebellion.

I'm not talking about the fruit which the natural fruit of departing from biblical principles and doing it yourself. That's not what I'm talking about here. I'm talking about being in the very middle of the will of God doing God's work. The best way you know how unsettling lives blasting seem to be going to blow you away. Many of us on know understand the paradox of this woman, while knowing God's blessings in one area in her life she was experiencing lives blasting in another area in her life all at the same time, God's blessings on lives blasting verse 12 of first Kings 17 was a famine in the land this woman calmly was going to eat the last piece of bread for her and her son and both were going to die both die and/or Congress in the heart about all this. There was a sense of resignation to the calamity and then I looked and I began to compare it with verse 18 that intensity that attack with anger and accusation upon Elijah the man of God, and I realize one thing, listen carefully, our emotions are unpredictable. Our emotions cannot be trusted. Are you hearing me emotions are like a barometric pressure goes up goes down a totally unreliable, you cannot trust your emotion. The only thing that you can trust. When you are in the midst of calamity is the word of God and the promises of God. But this poor woman I was directed toward God lashes out only larger.

Elijah was bearing the brunt of her anger toward God. I want to tell you I've experienced it firsthand. Often when people are angry with God. When the people not getting the prayers answered the same way they want to be answered. They always take it out on the preacher. I have files to prove the letter but I wanted tell you something else. Listen carefully. Some of you have been there when you have a family member or friend who is angry with God was mad with God is not getting their way from God. They often take it upon those godly people who are nearest and dearest to them because you represent God to them like this woman, this type of anger is often accompanied with guilt watches next on what happened to look at verse 18. She said did you come to remind me of my sin until my son death somehow seemed to help bring up to the surface.

A lot of guilt, a lot of guilt. I have seen people grieving funerals, half the grieving for the loved one.

But often the other half is a very grieving with their own sense of guilt and failure in the face of the inevitability of this.

I want to tell you something. Listen to me very carefully. This woman son did not die because a person like the disciples in John chapter 9, who came to Jesus when they saw the man born blind and they said to him, they said as he sandal his parents and so that he was born blind than Jesus very lovingly said to them, he said neither he nor his parents that God might be glorified. They believe that God can be glorified in your calamity.

You believe that God can be glorified in your desperation, I believe it with all my heart. But you know we often so quick to draw conclusions. We saw quick to pass rash judgments. We saw quick to connect between sin and telemetry. Only God knows that but instead watch and see how God can use all these things to bring glory to his name. Watching wanted to watch but I want to get away from this woman in her anger and her guilt because the rear of she represents millions of Americans who live without God, who ignore God, who deny God only when they hit a stone in life.

Only when the light begins to blast and then they shape their first they never comprehended. I guess how they can be met with somebody who they don't believe exist. I wanted to look at what how this man of God reacted. I wanted to see what you do that cause God to perform the very first resurrection that is recorded in the Bible. This is vitally important to have several principles only share with you very quickly. The first principle is this verse 19 when she anger accused Elijah. He did not defend himself. He did not try to give her theological lesson not tried to condemn her false view of God, no, he only said four words give me your son. That's all he said just when it attacked just been assaulted.

Just being reviled and yet he knew that this is pain talking to you that this is her talking.

He knew that this is guilt talking hello many times when you are in the pit of pain. You lash out those who are most innocent, often those who are nearest and dearest to.

There is a second principle here.

I wanted to watch a mess. Elijah saved his questioning of God until he was with God alone. Bible said that you must let your moderation be known to man in your desperation is not the words bother you but I'm I'm using adjuster derived your desperation be known to God often do we make our desperation known to man and all moderation known to God. You got a wrong reversal formula. Look at verse 21.

Elijah carried the boy went upstairs and he set the goddess of the Lord God, why is that why there's something here think very significant that I don't want you to miss. Please Elijah never said that downstairs where the unbelieving woman was struggling with the same questions, but I want to tell you about said also that verse 20 that prayer of Elijah was a bad prayer is that women women bad prayer. The Elijah, the great prophet of God, the great men of God pray to you. Nonetheless, it's a long breath Elijah were just as long as this widow but he was perplexed he was agitated.

He must've had fondness for the boy and his plans were wrong but because it accused God of bringing tragedy by causing the widow's son to die is what I wanted to him say that God is an awesomely good God because God is an awesomely merciful good God, he allows us sometimes to say some very sorry prayers especially when were confused and agitated when you get frustrated and agitated and desperate in your prayer. Sometimes you pray the wrong way but I want to tell you this, God is not going to get busy and fall of his throne because of your own prayer. God is an infinitely merciful God, then there's 1/3 principle, and it is this your intense persistence in praying according to the word of God makes a difference not on menu going to pull if resurrection I don't mean that. But when you have nothing left except God. When you have stripped yourself of everything except God. When you have taken hold of the horns of your precious student prayer. Your prayers will make a difference as 1/4 principle here in the life of a large of how God works in larger went to the place where he met God on a daily basis. Elijah went to the prophets chamber where he communed with God on a regular basis. A larger went upstairs to the place where has already been sanctified by the hours and hours are displayed on his knees praying in communion with God showing calamity struck when calamity came, he took that calamity to the place yes givers do have a place where you made God everyday. They have a place that is set aside so that when calamity strikes when large blasting blow your way.

You know where to go with it. Look at verse 21, and I wanted to since the intensity by which this man of God, pray to, since that intensity model so he stretched himself upon the boy free time to know that means you know what he did this. You want to know why he did this. I have about the foggiest idea what somebody tried to tell Mr. Trinity father-son Holy Spirit three times in Bible doesn't tell me try to tell you what the Scripture says this is the first resurrection recorded in the word of God.

Elijah didn't have a manual that he can go to turn to page 97, section C, subsection D raising a Gentile boy from the dead had no they didn't have a manual to go but he didn't know what I am convinced them all right as I lived with that passage that I think the old man was so brokenhearted that he was weeping he did not know what to do.

He wanted not know what else to do and is that I do is if he is trying to pass his own vitality upon the boy carefully place this is a picture of the kind of prayer that does something with God in this humble home of the Phoenician Gentile bail worshiping widow God. The first recorded resurrection and the word of God it wasn't in Jerusalem. It was and indelibly it was in Zana fax. God wants to answer the prayer of an obedient heart knowing James said the prayer of a righteous avail as much as he say the prayer of the obedient avail us with God and this woman risked everything for God, a God that she did not know and you think God is not done on her risking in faith as I conclude I want you to notice couple friends who wanted to notice how restraining the word of God is Bible said the Lord heard the largest cry in the boy's life restored. He lived. Exit exit.

No television cameras no fundraising gimmicks. The boy didn't write a book, a best-selling book about how what I saw on the other side of death's man's way spends way. God's way is very simple.

You don't have to try to convince anyone when it is the word of God. You don't have to explain it away. You don't have to defend Martin Luther think is one who said that the offending the Bible is like trying to defend the line and this is the secret of the authority of the word of God. This is how you know that it is the word of God. It is unexplainable.

It is unexplainable. It simply says God did it. One of the unbelieving woman's testimony was God. She said now I know that you are God's man. Why because she saw the reality, the intensity and the integrity of faith on the fire. She testified to the word of God when she said I know that the word of the Lord is from your mouth.

You know that this woman was honored later on in the New Testament, but only the Jesus used her first text of his first public sermon synagogue in Nazareth is also in the book of Hebrews chapter 11, where the lists of the saints in the Hall of Fame.

The saints Hall of Fame. The big pros Abraham and Isaac. Sarah, this woman gets included in chapter 11 of Hebrews verse 35 he talks about women receiving back the dead raised to life again. This woman whose name we do not know where the rollcall of faith for all time.

She came to know the living God did today's message God's blessing and likes blasting speak directly to where you are right now. Would you like to speak with the pastor to help guide you through the next steps will begin that conversation with a leading the way pastoral team member. When you fill out a short contact form@ltw.org/Jesus.

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