Peace Breeze

I love how God gives us little bleeps of Himself with reassurances out of nowhere.

I had a few errands to run today at "the bottom of the mountain" as we like to call it. As I was driving back up the mountain with the windows down and enjoying the rare coolness of this Alabama August day I couldn't help but worship my God and the beauty of His creation.

At that moment somehow He flooded me with a much needed wave of peace that just came out of nowhere. I actually had not been particularly "stressed" today. My God has pulled me through my latest faith breakdown and now on this side of it... comes this beautiful peace breeze.

It was kind of like God just coming up and giving me a hug for no reason other than just to let me know that He was there and that He still loved me. Yep, that's my Abba Father :-)

After the peace breeze, my mind went back to the beauty of the mountain, as my mind went to the mountain, I then was reminded of Elijah when he was on the mountain, after running from Jezebel, after defeating the priests of Baal. I would say that at this time Elijah was probably a little stressed.

Then the Spirit of God reminded me of what Elijah had said after he left that mountain...

"But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness,

and came and sat down under a juniper tree;

and he requested for himself that he might die,

and said,

“It is enough; now, O LORD,

take my life,

for I am not better than my fathers.”

1 Kings 19:4

Elijah was done. He had all he could stand. He was stressed to the max. He cried out to God to just take him home. Here he was running from Jezebel and he had decided that God should just go ahead and kill him because he didn't think he was any better than the fathers who had already cowered in fear before her.

What God reminded me of in this wonderful story is that He was mindful that Elijah was tired, that he was just dust. He was aware what he had been through in this flesh.

God never even acknowledged that Elijah had said what he said.

God just let him vent.

He then sent his angels to minister to him and they simply said “Arise, eat.” (1 Kings 19:5)

Not once was Elijah condemned for being stressed, for asking God to just take him out. He wasn't even condemned for running from Jezebel. God just reached out to him and gave him what he needed to regain his strength to get him to the next mountain.

I have a tendency to feel like a fool after my freak out mode moments. What a shock that God knew my heart and loved me enough to remind me that I was not alone in my freak-out faith breakdowns.

But most importantly He reminded me how He responds to my freak-out mode moments... they are as far as the east is from the west and not even acknowledged in His mercy and grace. 

He lets me vent.

Then He says “Arise, eat.”

And when I am calmed and strengthend and my sense is slowing returning to me He says...  

and behold,

the word of the LORD came to him,

and He said to him,

“What are you doing here, Elijah?”

1 Kings 19:9

What are you doing here, Nicole? Why have you freaked out again? Come on. Get yourself together. I am not through with you and this is not the end of the world. And you are not alone.

The LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness..."

1 Kings 19:15

Now go return on your way to the wilderness... 

Yes, the wilderness.

It's not time for the promise land yet.

This is the time of clearing the way.

“Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness;
Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God."

Isaiah 40:3

So here I am restored, revived, ready, and resting on the gentle blowing of my God's peace breeze...

There is still much to do,

the fields are white for harvest,

and sadly the workers are few....