Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and how he had slain all the prophets of Baal with the sword.
Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah saying. So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow. Then he was afraid and arose and went for his life. 1kings 19:1-3b
Life point: Child of God keep your balance!
Why in the world would a man like Elijah, who the previous day had made absolute fools of 450 prophets of Baal and then personally slain every one of them, suddenly allow himself to become so intimidated by the threats of a solitary woman named Jezebel that he ran away in fear?
I doubt very much that Jezebel was so fearsome that Elijah had to do that. I believe he responded in such an unbalanced way because he was exhausted.
Many of the problems we face in relationships come from being out of balance, and often the imbalance is the result of simply being worn out. When we are totally exhausted, we respond to people or situations differently than we do when we are fully rested.
We tend to respond emotionally and get our feelings hurt easily. We are touchier and more likely to get upset over the slightest thing that goes wrong.
Even our creative ability dries up when we are overly tired. Like Elijah, we become vulnerable to depression and discouragement. I know from my personal experience that my faith is affected when I am too tired, it’s even difficult to want to pray at those times.
In many of today’s families, both parents need to work full-time just to provide for themselves and their children. After working all day, they then have to go home and take care of the children, prepare meals, do laundry and several other housework and on and on.
Sooner or later they may become exhausted. If they are Christians they will want to attend church and may also take on other church commitments.
While many of these activities are good, they may not all be commitments that are Spirit-led. If people are not careful, they may end up trying to be everything to everybody. Which wears them out.
I am extremely busy; we all are, which is why we need a balance in our lives. That may mean having to cut off some things we don’t really want to get rid of, but which will cause problems if we do not allow God to prune them.
Let Elijah’s story above remind you to maintain balance in every aspect of your life; physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual.
God wants you blessed, and in order to receive, enjoy, and wisely steward His blessings, you need to be strong and refreshed, not stressed and exhausted.
Prayer: Blessed Holy Spirit gives me the inner strength to maintain balance in all circumstances in Jesus name!
