His Voice, His Plan, His Way

we're gonna pray right now together as we go to the word we've had some prayer requests come in we're going to pray for Michelle in Jesus name in Jesus name y'all pray with me Lord right now Jesus we go to your word we trust your Lord for great things but Lord God we're praying now for Michelle Lord you know where she is what's going on with her I pray right now Lord that you would move on her behalf in Jesus name let your will be accomplished Lord show yourself strong in that situation Lord as we go to your word I make myself available to you one more time in Jesus name take holes from the altar touch these lips of clay Lord I'll make myself available to you in the name that is above every name Jesus have your will Lord I pray in Jesus name can you say amen amen hey man you you can be seated if you feel like you need to or at home you can sit down and get your word out get your Bible out amen as we sit here today no doubt we are all in a mode of wonderment we wonder how in this world is this going to work how long can I keep this up will this be the end of me will it drive me crazy why why is this happening to us right now there's a thousand questions no doubt and the truth is is they're seemingly no answer no response no rebuttal we fret and then we subside and we succumb to the reality that all of us have probably over the last week or so have made this statement it is what it is it is what it is go ahead and say it with me again today it is what it is that that phrase kind of kind of it's it's in us when we don't know what else to say when things don't make sense whatever the it is in your life truth is is that you basically you've tried you've done your best you've put it all together and yeah there's it just seems to fall into that place wrap your mind around the facts that things basically may or may not have gone the way that you wanted to it may be out of your control it doesn't make sense perhaps whatever that it is but you continue forward for whatever reason you move forward for whatever reason you get up out of your bed you get up and you move forward the next day you get up and you declare that it's another day and you're gonna do what you're supposed to do and for some reason for whatever reason you do what you do why because you know that no matter how good bad or ugly the situation is you've got to know that somehow the Sun is going to shine somehow you got to take a deep breath somehow you have to say you know what I'm in this but I know that it's gonna somehow turn out it might not be an easy statement to make because we want to be in control but whatever the it is in your life today you need to know that God is still on the throne we simply want to know what's going on so we can make plans for us it makes us feel better you like it really matters if we truly comprehend everything about what's going on it's like it helps us to to have a sense of we're now in control when the fact of the matter is sometimes you simply have to trust God I want to read a story to you if you'll allow me the the book of first Kings chapter number 17 verse number 1 this is what the Bible says I'll give you a moment to turn there first Kings chapter 17 verse number 1 and Elijah the Tishbite who was of the inhabitants of Gilead said unto Ahab as the Lord God of Israel liveth before whom I stand there shall not be Dew or rain these years but according to my word this is a man of God Elijah a hab was the king at that present time where Elijah was and Elijah the man had just pronounced by the unction and the power of God that neither rain nor morning dew would be on the earth until no timeframe was given no ultimate date was put out there simply says these years I don't know about you but I would have been very discouraged by hearing the word years you know we might qatal rate something five minutes but when when this prophet is standing there though the word of the Prophet understand that there's already a dry land around there's already desert II places there's already aridness if you will water would have been a precious commodity at any level but no rain would mean that crops would die would mean that animals would not be there would mean a lot with change in their normal lives how many know what it's like to have things change but notice what happens as we continue first Kings 17 verse number 2 and the word of the Lord came unto him saying get thee hence talking about Elijah and turned the eastward and hide thyself by the brook Cherith that is before Jordan and it shall be that thou shalt drink of the brook and I have commanded the Ravens to feed thee there so verse 5 says he went and did according unto the word of the Lord for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith that is before Jordan and the Ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning and bread and flesh in the evening and he drank of the brook and it came to pass after a while that the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land God told Elijah to go to the brook and he told him I will provide for you there by definition the word Cherith by definition simply means this a place of separation a cutting edge used to separate so God allows Elijah the opportunity to make his point to the king that no rain is going to fall but then Elijah goes to the brook cherith and it is there that he hides at the place of separation at the place of a cutting edge to push apart it is at that place of separation while he was there that the promise of God came true and the provision of God was right and the Ravens did come they did bring the bread they did bring the meat and Elijah was able to sustain himself until the brook dried up again God one more time speaks a word God tells Elijah to go to the place to get up and go to Zarephath and he will show himself to him there so Elijah leaves the place of separation and he heads to Zarephath where he finds a widow understand cherith means a place of separation but understand that Zarephath means something else it is a smelting pot it is a place where metals are work it is a place where they bring ingredients and under the heat of fire they make swords they make instruments that can be used the place of separation then brings him to the place of smelting where the heat of everyday survival is there y'all stay with pastor a moment it is at that place that God one more time taking him from a cold brook of a drink of water and bringing him to a smelting place that it is there that Elijah is simply trying to find God in his circumstance he separates himself from the rest of the world and then God sends him to a dry in a hot dirty place of work remember there's no rain remember that there's not the best of situations remember that Elijah is a man but he's a man of God that is heard from God and the heavens are working on his behalf notice first Kings chapter 17 verse number 8 the Bible says this and the word of the Lord came unto him talking about Elijah again saying arise give heed to Zarephath which belongeth his iDEN and dwell there behold I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee so he arose verse 10 says went to Zarephath and when he came to the gate of the city behold the widow woman was there gathering of sticks he called to her and said fetch me I pray thee a little water in a vessel that I may drink and as she was going to fetch it the Bible says in verse 11 he called to her and said bring me I pray thee a morsel of bread in nine ham and she said as the Lord thy God liveth I have not a cake but a handful of meal in a barrel and a little oil in a cruise and behold I'm gathering two sticks that I may go in and dress it from me and my son that we may eat it and die Elijah says to her notice this word in verse 13 fear not go and do as I have said but make me thereof a little cake first bring it out to me after make for thee and thy son for thus saith the Lord God of Israel the barrel of meal shall not waste neither shall the cruse of oil fail until the day that the Lord send this rain upon the earth listen to it and she went in and did according of saying of Elijah and she and he and her house did eat many days and the barrel of me wasted not neither did the cruse of oil fail according to the word of the Lord which he spake by Elijah as this widow woman follow the voice of God she lived her son leader and the prophet of God lived she didn't have but when she submitted to what it was declared the Bible says the meal didn't stop the oil didn't dry up historians will declare there was enough meal and oil to last her for more than a year Elijah following the voice of God he has left the place where he declared to Ahab no rain he leaves there and goes to the brook where the birds are feeding him but the brook dries up he leaves that place of separation and he goes to the smelting place this is the place that's dirty and grungy but is at that place we're a little widow woman and her son received from God and Elijah not only did he have to speak a word to her listen to this but he had to be able and we willing to receive from her even though it would have cost her and her son their lives but because of the submission of the woman and her son and the prophet of God they all lived Elijah was told by God now I need you to go and meet with Ahab God assured Elijah that he would sin rain to the land one more time but they have had to be dealt with Elijah sets up a meeting with Obadiah - Ahab and he says I want you to send a message to Ahab I want you to tell him that it's time that we meet together you tell Ahab I want him and his prophets of Bale to come and meet me at Karma and when they got to Carmel the Bible said 450 of Bale's prophets were there at the request of a have it is that this place that the famous altar scene unfolds somebody hear the preacher today in Elijah according to the fire that fell from heaven by a voice of a prophet to a God that could do anything Elijah killed 450 prophets of bail that day 400 more that were out in the grows 850 prophets were killed by the hand of a man that understood the voice of God listen to me carefully God had taken Elijah from his normal life and he had put him in front of the king to declare there would be no rain he then put him in a place of separation he didn't put him in a place of heat and work and trusting in him but then on Mount Carmel the destruction of the false prophets of man false prophets of Bale there was something that happened there because you gotta understand something my friend he came from the presence of Ahab he went to a place of separation he then went to a smelting place but then he came to Carmel and by definition Carmel was a lush forest place but Carmel was on the edge of Judah and when Judah comes into the scene it's now turn to praise the praise it's now praise I've come to tell somebody today sitting in your living room right now sitting in your car on your job it doesn't matter how bad your circumstance appears my God can bring you to a place of juda and praise in the situation that you're in right now in the questions that are on your mind why is this happening what is transpiring why is this taking place I don't understand it surely God knows that's what's going on and he's gonna be God in my life the fear the doubt and everything that's going on in your life right now Fritton you need to know it is bringing you to praise it is bringing you to declare you're a good god you're a holy God you're a righteous God I invite you right now to know this God to know that he has a plan for you to know that exactly where you are is exactly where God is right now the Bible gives us account after account after account of people who were in a bad position who were in a bad way but the Word of God came and delivered them and turn them into worshipers even if you can't see it now you need to know God is in control you need to know we're all in this without exception God has a plan for you he can make something beautiful out of your mess today you might not know where the path is taking you on your journey you may not be able to see exactly the steps that you're taking but you need to know this is not the end of the road this has simply led you to praise pastor did it rain you better know it you better know it three and a half years was a drought read the story when you get a chance three and a half years no water but as Elijah had destroyed the prophets of false prophets have bailed the prophets of man-things the prophets of idolatry of man he stood in Judah and glorified God the story ends that as he faced the ground knelt interceded and prayed that out in the distance a servant saw a cloud like a man's hand what should have been a really bad place turned in to the miraculous and within moments that hand that cloud that hand began to grow finally Elijah decided you know what I gotta get a word to somebody and under the strength of the power of God he moved out and said I hear the sound of abundance of rain sitting at home on your job in your car wherever you are you need to know something my friend there is an abundance of blessings of God that can come to you now he might take you to a place of separation he might take you to a place of a hot smelly place where things are worked out of you but you gotta know he's bringing you even to the face of an enemy for you to declare I will not be destroyed at this Holter but I will call on the name of the Lord God and he'll send fire from a heaven and that will happen because I will be a child of God believing and whatever is going on God's gonna be God come today to tell somebody it's his voice it's his way and it's his plan wherever you are watching right now it is God's voice it is God's Way it is God's plan it is God's voice his way his plan right now wherever you're located whatever you're doing I want to invite you to some prayer time with God I want you to take the next half-hour or so families singles by yourself hospital room living room wherever is wherever you're at right now I'll invite you to spend time in prayer mom and dad if your kids around you gather them in close you get on your knees in that living room or bedroom wherever you are and you begin to pray mom and dad you gather your kids teach them to pray we all need strength right now for this hour God has the answers were seeking and he's bringing us to a place of praise he's bringing us to a place where we can love and worship and magnify him for the next half hour I invite you to spend time in prayer we're gonna stay right here online with you music's gonna play verses are gonna come up things are gonna happen on the screen that's alright you keep praying next week on Sunday 12 o'clock we'll be back here we'll have service online if it changes we'll let you know right now you plan on a time next Sunday to be here if you need something of God's dealing with you if there's something going on in your life you contact this church you send us a text you go online you call the office you let us know I need something from the Lord there's a situation in my life I'm believing that in the worst of times God can show up in your circumstance find your place of prayer would you find your place of prayer and that the Lord God work in your life if you don't know how to pray you begin to talk to him like you would talk to anybody your friends you just start up a conversation you close your eyes you lift your hands to him you just begin to pour out your heart begin to talk to me let him know where you are what's going on begin a conversation with him let him speak to you let's pray together the name of Jesus