Weekly Greeting - March 15, 2024
Dear Bethlehem Family,
In 1 Kings 17:1-7 God sent the prophet Elijah into the wilderness after he delivered a message of judgement to King Ahab. In 1 Kings 16:31, we are told “For Ahab it seemed like a light thing to walk in the sins of Jeroboam.” During the time he was in the wilderness, God sent ravens to feed Elijah and provided water for him in a brook that eventually started to dry up.
My devotional reading this week from Lectio 365 included a quote from Baptist preacher F.B. Meyer:
Many of us have had to sit by drying brooks… the drying brook of popularity…. the drying brook of health…. the drying brook of money… the drying brook of friendship….
It takes a special grace, a unique work of the Spirit of God, to see the brook dry up in front of you and bear it with godly endurance. We like to see things move from one success to another, from glory to glory, but there are times when God knows the drying brook is exactly what is best for us.
Lent is a season in which we can intentionally cut ourselves off from resources or pleasures to focus on our relationship with God. It is a time for us to see that God is our true provider.
Time in the wilderness is not always pleasant, but if we open our hearts to God, it can be time well spent.
I pray that you are having a meaningful Lent as we move towards the celebration of Easter Sunday, and the resurrection of Christ, our Lord.
Blessings,
Craig