Quote from Forum Archives on March 10, 2009, 5:56 pm

Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>

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The Burning Bush Devotional

Welcome to the 267 new subscribers since January 1, 2009!!

03.10.09

Are You Sinking?

So he (the prophet Elijah) went and did according to the word of the Lord,
for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan.
The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in
the evening; and he drank from the brook. And it happened after a while that
the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. Then the
word of the Lord came to him, saying, "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs
to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide
for you." - 1 Kings 17:5-9.

O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my
flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. -
Psalm 6:31.

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God
must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently
seek Him. - Hebrews 11:6.

What would you do if you were out on a boat fishing and your boat was
sinking? Would you keep on fishing until your boat was underwater or would
you stop fishing and return to shore if possible? In Escambia County,
Florida, four people were out fishing on a pontoon boat and continued
fishing even though the water was washing over the pontoons. Florida Fish
and Wildlife received a report from the public about a boat sinking, and
they sent officers out to check out the report. It was true, the boat was
sinking and the people onboard seemed to be oblivious to their dangerous
situation continuing to enjoy the fishing. The officers ordered the pontoon
boat to return to shore and once on shore, they discovered that holes had
been drilled in the pontoons to drain water. However, the plugs used to seal
the holes were not waterproof or watertight. When asked if he was aware of
the boat's condition prior to being contacted by Florida Fish and Wildlife
officers, the operator said, "The boat was dragging a bit on the way out."

If you are on a boat that is sinking it may be time to abandon ship or to at
least consider calling for help. If your employment comes to an end, action
is needed. You need to consider your options. Elijah the great prophet of
the Old Testament was being obedient to the will of God when he went to the
Brook Cherith. There at the brook was water and God sent ravens to bring the
prophet food. It is vital to see that even though Elijah was obedient to
God, and in God's will for his life, eventually the brook still dried up.

When someone loses their employment or some other bad thing happens it does
not necessarily mean that they have been living outside of God's will. It
does often indicate that a change of direction may be needed. Elijah could
no longer remain at the brook and God told him where to go next. God told
Elijah to, "Arise, go to Zarephath." It was a place that was suffering from
the drought that was upon the land so it might not have been Elijah's first
choice and in addition, the widow he was to stay with was almost out of
food. Elijah chose to obey and God continued to supernaturally provide for
his needs and for the needs of the widow and her son.

When your boat is sinking the time for fishing is over. It is time to call
for help. When the boat carrying Jesus and His disciples was sinking in a
storm (Matthew 4:35-41), the disciples knew what to do. They woke up Jesus
and Jesus calmed the storm with three words, "Peace, be still!"

Whatever storm that your boat may be sinking in, whether it is a storm of
sin, or a storm caused by the loss of employment, or something else - the
solution is still the same. Seek the Lord and follow Him (Matthew 7:7-8;
Hebrews 11:6).

Copyright © 2009. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
on a non-profit basis with source credited. The Burning Bush website has
been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998 the email version of the
Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.

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