Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– Richard Cecil
Everyday Faith
Interestingly, we show that we have faith every day of our lives. We drive over a bridge and never give it a second thought by looking underneath the bridge to inspect it. We drive our cars, having faith that our brakes will work. We eat turn on the heat in the winter, expecting that it will warm our house, so since we put our trust in human things in every single day in life, why can’t we trust God in our spiritual life?
Fear, Fatigue, and Hunger
When Elijah was running for his life from the wicked Queen Jezebel, he was fearful, tired, and hungry, and when we’re afraid, tired, and hungry, we’re more susceptible to making poor choices and taking drastic chances. This is just what Elijah did. He said in defeat, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers” (1st Kings 19:4). He had given up because he was fearful, hungry, and tired, and those three things can shatter our faith in God. This marked the near-end of Elijah’s ministry because later Elisha would take up the mantel and do twice as many miracles as Elijah did.
A Journey too Great
When Elijah had been running for his life from Jezebel, he was tired and hungry, but God knew this (of course). So what did the angel of the Lord tell Elijah? He was told, “Arise and eat” (1st King 19:5) and again, the angel said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you” (1st Kings 19:7). After Elijah had rested, “he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God” (1st Kings 19:8). Elijah could not have gone forty days without the strength of that food, and not without getting some rest.
Famine of the Word
We know that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom 10:17), so you can literally starve to death spiritually from not being in the Word of God. It’s what is called “the famine of the Word” (Amos 8:11). Since faith comes by hearing, if you’re not hearing or reading the Word of God, you’re not taking in the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ, and your faith cannot be strengthened. That will surely starve the soul.
Conclusion
We put our trust in human things every day, so why can’t we trust God more Who made all things? When we get tired, hungry, or fearful, our faith is weak. We need rest and rejuvenation. That’s because the journey of life is too much for us without God, and especially if there’s a self-imposed famine of the Word, so what Mr. Cecil wrote is exactly right: “Unbelief starves the soul; faith finds food in famine.”
