Sunday, May 1, 2016 NOTES Obscurity: Cherith, the brook and the ravens. (17:3-7) An unlikely place: Zerephath, a pagan city and Jezebel’s home territory. (17:8) Unusual circumstances: The widow, the meal and the oil (17:8- 16) An unexpected event: The death & resurrection of the widow’s son (17:17-23) A dramatic declaration: The widow’s affirmation – “Now I know.. !” (17:24) Preparation: God sent Elijah first to Cherith and then to Zerephath to train & prepare him to speak and act for Him. Preparation is crucial. It’s essential. In most endeavors in life, it makes all the difference. Depending on the presence or absence of preparation, when the moment of testing comes, it will be met with either the disappointment of failure or the celebration of success. Elijah’s experience is a striking example. The account of his life teaches that God chooses ordinary people and prepares them, often in obscurity, in unlikely places, and through unusual circumstances and expected events, to speak and act in His name. Prophet on the Run (1 Kings 19:1- 18) Elijah’s Training Ground: Cherith & Zarephath 1.Learning to trust that God will use our painful experiences to shape us into the people He’s making us to be (v. 2) 1.Learning to trust God at His Word (vv. 3-9) Sunday, May 1, 2016 NOTES Prophet on the Run (1 Kings 19:1- 18) Preparation: God sent Elijah first to Cherith and then to Zerephath to train & prepare him to speak and act for Him. Preparation is crucial. It’s essential. In most endeavors in life, it makes all the difference. Depending on the presence or absence of preparation, when the moment of testing comes, it will be met with either the disappointment of failure or the celebration of success. Elijah’s experience is a striking example. The account of his life teaches that God chooses ordinary people and prepares them, often in obscurity, in unlikely places, and through unusual circumstances and expected events, to speak and act in His name. Obscurity: Cherith, the brook and the ravens. (17:3-7) An unlikely place: Zerephath, a pagan city and Jezebel’s home territory. (17:8) Unusual circumstances: The widow, the meal and the oil (17:8- 16) An unexpected event: The death & resurrection of the widow’s son (17:17-23) A dramatic declaration: The widow’s affirmation – “Now I know.. !” (17:24)

REFLECT, PRAY, APPLY Moving from “hearers” to “doers” of God’s Word (James 1:22) REFLECT 1. Do you think Elijah was justified in being discouraged by his circumstances ? 2. What strikes you as unusual about God’s question to Elijah in the cave? 3. What important lesson did Elijah learn about how God Chooses to speak to people? 4. Think about one of the loneliest moments of your life. How did you make it through such a difficult time? APPLY 1. The most spiritual thing we can do is rest. While that sounds so easy, why is it so hard for most of us to rest ? What are some things you can do to have more rest in you life? 2. What are some ways that you can remind yourself that God is in control when you are in the middle of difficult circumstances? 3. Read 1 Kings 19:15-16 and 2 Kings 2: Pray and ask God what He is wanting you to do in this season of your life? Ask if He wants you to continue what you are doing or see if He has something new in store for you. PRAY 1. Read 1 Kings 19:1-3. Pray over the fears you are currently dealing with in your life. Ask God to help you overcome them and give you comfort and peace as you deal with them. 2. Read 1 Kings 19:5-8. Ask God to help find ways to find more time to rest in your life. Spend your time in quiet prayer just resting in His presence. 3. Read 1 Kings 19:9-12. Take time today to allow god to speak to you Listen quietly for His gentle whisper. REFLECT, PRAY, APPLY Moving from “hearers” to “doers” of God’s Word (James 1:22) REFLECT 1. In what ways were Cherith and Zerephath unlikely places for Elijah to be sent to prepare him for his coming confrontation on Mt. Carmel? 2. In your understanding, what was it that God taught Elijah at Cherith and Zerephath to prepare him? 3. What places and circumstances in your life has God most evidently, and possibly unexpectedly, used to prepare you to speak and act for Him? PRAY 1. Have you felt “sidelined” in some ways at this point in your life? Ask God to show you if you are where you should be. If you are there, ask Him to help you see how He wants to use this time to prepare you to speak and act for Him. If you’re not, ask Him to lead you to the place where He can best teach and prepare you. 2. Has your prayer life been weak and ineffective? Ask God to revive and renew you so your prayers will be “fervent and effective” (Jas. 5:16-18) 3. Are you listening to God as well as talking to God when you pray? APPLY 1. If you know you are where God wants you right now, determine to seek God earnestly to teach you what you need to learn right where you are. 2. If God told you there was some other place He wanted you to be, would you be willing to obey Him and go? 3. Think about the disciplines of reading the Bible and praying that you may have let slip. Do what it will take to get back into the right habits that will promote your spiritual growth and help you hear God’s voice.