Congratulations! You made it through the first week, and what a powerful week it has been! We focused on a number of themes this week from the beginning of Elijah’s story in 1 Kings 17 –  Prayer, Faith, Spiritual grit, the slippery slope of compromise, Repentance, Restoration, Seasons in our walk with God, God’s provision and strength during our difficult times,  Waiting on God, Trusting Him when life doesn’t make sense, and much more! Isn’t it amazing how much God has had to say to us in just our first week of study?

Our focus verse for the week is Hebrews 11:6, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”

I have written a summary for each day of our study this week, and the discussion questions and assignments will be at the end.

Day 1

On Day 1, we set the stage for our study by outlining a bit of the history of Israel that led to the time of Elijah. We discovered how the nation transitioned from having God as their King and being led by judges to becoming a monarchy. We read how the nation became divided into the Northern Kingdom, called Israel, led by one evil king after another, and the Southern Kingdom, called Judah, led by some good and some bad kings, and it was during this time that God used Elijah to prophecy to His people. We observed the slippery slope of compromise as king after king rebelled against God and indulged in idol worship, thus bringing severe consequences for their sin to the nation of Israel.

Jeroboam was the first king of the Northern 10 tribes of Israel as they split from the other tribes. He had completely disregarded God’s commands concerning worship, and that was the beginning of the compromises that led to Israel’s troubles. Jeroboam replaced God’s chosen place of worship, ordained common people as priests instead of God’s chosen tribe of Levi, and he set up golden calves as idols for the people to worship. This “legacy of compromise” continued on to every single king that came after him, and each one was worse than the one before.

You can see how compromise can begin so simply and yet become a snowball of rebellion and consequences that seem utterly out of control. This story of Israel’s kings can serve as a warning to us when we are drawn by the influence of our culture to allow tiny compromises in our own lives. These tiny compromises can grow and begin a downward spiral that will draw our hearts further and further away from God.

It takes spiritual grit to stay the course. However, when we do stray, there is hope! Our God loves us so much that He will do whatever it takes to win us back to Himself, even if it is to allow consequences for our choices. He does not delight in punishment or condemnation, but His delight is to lead us to repentance and restoration.

“True grit means that we guard against spiritual compromise and seek to get back on track when we falter.”

Most importantly, we also learned from Elijah’s example that we can offer prayers of faith to draw close to God. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.” We must also study the Scriptures diligently in order to know God’s instructions and keep us from being confused by worldly values.

“When we come to God in faith, we find the reward we seek: God Himself. While we can seek God in a variety of ways, prayer is a vital way the Lord has given us to connect with Him. He simply invites us to talk to Him. We won’t find spiritual stamina apart from prayer.”

Day 2

Today we took a bit more time to explore how each king who came after Jeroboam followed his legacy of rebellion but took it to more extreme each time. Yet, as evil and shocking as the descriptions were, we see in 1 Kings 16:30 and 33 that Ahab did what was evil in the Lord’s sight and did “more to provoke the anger of the Lord… than any of the other kings of Israel before him.”

The wording in verse 31 paints the picture even more clearly: “And as though it were not enough to follow the sinful example of Jeroboam, he married Jezebel, the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians, and he began to bow down in worship of Baal.” I especially like the phrase, “And as though it were not enough…” That woman was bad news!

As I read these descriptions, I begin to ponder the darkness in our own culture. How in the world can we remain faithful and increase in spiritual stamina with all that is going on around us? Our culture perpetually sends messages that are clear contradictions of God’s ways, and we can so easily be swayed. We are daily bombarded with messages of greed, the pursuit of pleasure above all else, entitlement, confusion about sex, gender, or morality, bullying or belittling anyone with Christian or conservative values, and portraying the false façade of our social media lives. What we need is the key to true fulfillment in life.

Deuteronomy 30:20 spells out the key to our lives: “You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

That’s it! It is all about loving and obeying God! That is the key to life!

God wants us to have abundant life. In John 10:10, Jesus states His purpose clearly, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” You see, God’s commands are not burdensome or harsh, but He outlines the very best way for us to live. When we stray from that, He knows it will bring suffering and hardship. That is why He is so adamant about drawing us back to Him when we stray.

John 3:16-17 tells us that Jesus did not come to condemn us, but that God loved us so much that He sent Jesus to save us. So, don’t grieve when He disciplines us, but rejoice that He loves us enough to keep us close to Himself. Be glad that He wants us to prevent the consequences of sin and to keep us from wandering away from His presence.

“Even though life can be hard, wearing us down with all sorts of problems and pressures, the assurance that God loves us is what sustains us. His presence, purpose for our lies, and love give us stamina even when circumstances are difficult and feelings are low.”

“God used His prophets and ultimately His own Son to share His message of love. He is Yahweh, and like a good Father, He warns us in love when He sees us, His children, headed in the wrong direction. We need attentive ears to hear His words and responsive hearts to allow Him to correct our course.”

Day 3

We began today by reading Elijah’s introduction into the storyline of the Kings in chapter 17. With very little preliminary information, we quickly come upon Elijah as he warns King Ahab that it will not rain, and there would be no dew, until he, Elijah himself, gave the word. In other words, Israel was about to go through a terrible economic slump!

As you can imagine, this infuriated the king and his wife, and in order to protect him, God sent Elijah to hide near the Kerith Brook. Elijah could have communicated that he was too important to have to waste time hanging out in the middle of nowhere, but he trusted God’s plan. And, at this time, God’s plan was for Elijah was to simply wait.

Have you ever experienced seasons of waiting? Of course, because we all do. However, it is our attitude during our wait that makes the difference. We could pout or complain, or we could use that time to prepare for the next season where God will lead us. We can indulge in wasteful activities that dull our hearts and minds, or we can seek a deeper and more intimate relationship with God through prayer, study of Scripture, and gathering with other believers to serve and grow together while we wait.

Here are four principles we learn from Elijah during this season of waiting:

1. Walking with God usually includes some long season of waiting. Trust God’s timetable rather than our own. Use that time well.
2. God does not delight in the consequences of sin but longs for His people to repent. “God’s heart breaks along with us when we experience difficulties, including the consequences of sin. His desire is always for us to turn from our sin and toward Him so that we might have the abundant life He wants to give us.” God forewarned numerous times what would happen if Israel turned away from Him, but it wasn’t because He delights in seeing them suffer. It was to draw them back. In 2 Chronicles 7:13-15, God promised that when the time came that He would shut up the heavens and bring a severe drought on the land, if His people would then humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways, He would hear from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land. God already knew what was going to happen, and He had already made provisions for their restoration.
3. God supernaturally provides for the needs of His servants. God provided water from the brook and food to be brought to Elijah daily from the ravens. “God will go to great lengths to take care of His people, providing for us emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically.”
4. Bad things happen in this fallen world, and the Lord wants to help us through each one of them. Bad things simply happen in this sin-cursed world. That is not always a sign of punishment, and it is never a sign of abandonment. When the brook dried up, it seemed that Elijah’s source was gone. But God had another plan! “Sometimes following God means standing alone and waiting while the brook we are drinking from goes dry, but we can trust God to take care of us. As we see Him continually show His faithfulness in our lives, we develop spiritual stamina that enables us to ‘freak out” less and trust Him more!”

Day 4

We learned some profound principles of God’s provision on Day 4. When the brook dried up, God immediately set a new plan in motion. He led Elijah to a widow in Zarephath for food and shelter. God so often provides His very best for us using the most unlikely places! This widow was down to her last meal, but God multiplied her supplies so that they never ran out as long as Elijah stayed with her and her son. I have personally experienced many times that people who did not have much to give were often the most generous givers.

1. God sometimes sends us to places of scarcity to showcase His abundant provision. “Many times He uses unlikely places and people so that we won’t get hung up on the mode and miss Him as the source of our provision.”
2. God sometimes uses unlikely people to meet our needs. One thing that stands out to me from this story is that this woman didn’t object when Elijah asked her to bring him a meal before feeding herself and her son from the last of her oil and flour. She took a step of faith, and God rewarded her by never allowing her supply to run out. While God takes pleasure in providing for us in supernatural ways, He often requires an action of faith in our part either to test us or to teach us. Ultimately, we learn to look to God as our source, the “fountain” rather than the “bucket.”

“God colors outside the lines so we won’t forget that He is the source of our provision.”

Day 5

Not long after the miracle of the never-ending supply of flour and oil, the widow’s son tragically dies. It just didn’t make sense! She had faithfully obeyed God and had taken care of the prophet Elijah, and now God would allow her son to die? Have you ever experienced a situation that just didn’t seem fair or make sense? Does that mean that God has forgotten about you or neglected to keep His promises? This woman was understandably distraught, but God was about do something big!

Elijah cried out to God an asked him “why.” It is OK to approach God with our honest questions when life doesn’t make sense. However, let us approach Him with faith and reverence, knowing that regardless of our circumstances, God’s character does not change. He is always good, had always been good, and always will be good.

When bad things happen, it is not always punishment for our sin. God may allow things to happen that we don’t understand, but he does not cause these things. However, when God allows things to come in our lives, we have His promise that He will work it out for our good. “If it ain’t good yet, God ain’t done!”

Elijah laid the boy on his bed and lifted up his voice to God. He asked God three times to restore the boy’s life. This is the first time that Scripture records someone being brought back from the dead. Elijah prayed boldly and persistently, and God honored his faith.

Oftentimes we get discouraged when we pray and don’t get the answer we are looking for. Pp. 42-45 in our study book offers some powerful and encouraging words about bringing our requests to God. I encourage you to review these pages and the corresponding verses to build your faith and encourage you in your prayer life.

Here are a few points we learned about prayer this week:

1. We pray because Jesus told us to. “Prayer isn’t a magic vending machine to ensure a life of ease and prosperity. Prayer is the way we connect with God. God desires to have a relationship with us, and so invites us to pray.”
2. When we pray, we help realign ourselves with God’s kingdom. We realize what really matters and take our eyes off worldly distractions.
3. Prayer changes things, so we should ask boldly.
4. Prayer requires perseverance.
5. We should acknowledge the mystery that surrounds prayer. Good is good all the time, whether our prayers are answered the way we hope or not. He is sovereign, and His ways are higher than ours. Praise Him no matter what!

“God invites us to cry out to Him, and I believe He cries with us in the tragedies of life. He is both compassionate and powerful. When things in life don’t make sense, we have two choices: we can give in to despair, or we can cling to God in faith so that we can grow in spiritual stamina as we experience His love and peace.”

Week 1 Discussion Questions

1. Jeroboam put his faith in human wisdom rather than God’s Word. He sought his own interests rather than closely following God’s clear instructions, and His legacy of compromise filtered down to every king who ruled after him. Are there any areas of compromise where you sense God calling you back to a more complete obedience? (p. 20)
2. The Lord is always calling us back to relationship with Him. That’s why even when His people completely turned their backs on Him with drunkenness, murder, and idolatry, Yahweh still sent a prophet to call them back. He loved them, and He never gave up on them. When have you experienced God calling you through people, circumstances, thoughts, feelings, the Holy spirit, or His Word?
3. Another key concept we find in Elijah’s story is the supernatural provision of God. How did God provide for Elijah? How has the Lord provided for you in a supernatural or unexpected way at some point in your life – whether it was a physical, spiritual, emotional, or relational need? (p. 31)
4. During some waiting seasons, I have resorted to watching Netflix and scrolling social media when I feel restless. We have so many choices to fill our time. What is your go-to activity when you’re forced to wait? What are some practices that can help build spiritual stamina during a season of waiting? (p. 40)
5. God invites us to cry out to Him, and I believe He cries with us in the tragedies of life. He is both compassionate and powerful. When things in life don’t make sense, we have two choices: we can give in to despair, or we can continue to cry out to God with shameless persistence. Where is God asking you to grow in prayer? Do you need to work through some disappointments in prayer? Is God calling you to more boldly ask of Him and believe Him? What does that mean for you? (p. 45)
6. The good news is that the Lord wants to walk us through each and every challenge, just as He did for Elijah. How has the Lord walked you through a challenge recently?

Assignments for the Week

1. Click here to register, purchase the book, join our Facebook group, and subscribe to the blog to receive future updates.
2. Read 1 Kings 18:1-40
3. Read 1 Kings 9-15 (optional, reading through 1 and 2 Kings)
4. Study Week 2, pp. 48-78
5. Memorize Proverbs 2:11-12

   Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe. Wisdom will save you from evil people, from those whose words are twisted.

6. Participate in a small group in our Heart to Heart Women’s Bible Study Facebook page. This week we will go over what we learned from Week 1.

I hope you have been able to take away some encouraging and powerful truths to strengthen your faith and help you build spiritual stamina this week! I also hope to see you in a small group this week!

God bless!