Why Are You Here?

During an encounter that I had with a young person recently, I told them that things were difficult for them because there were some things that they would need to do that had never been done before. The analogy that I used to help this person understand what I was saying to them was that of a wilderness full of trees. I told this young person that they would be the first one to cut down the trees in that wilderness to create a smooth path for those coming behind them.

The same is true for many of us. There are large trees that we must cut down so that those coming behind us won’t have to fight as hard as we are fighting, and they will not stumble because we are destroying everything at the root that is attempting to block us. The task of doing this may seem difficult but the testimony is worth it.

You have to be able to identify the things that have hindered individuals in your lineage, know what the signs of those things are in your own life, and then eliminate it.

As I was going through my own flow of emotions, I thought about the Prophet Elijah. This man had a massive call on his life and was on the front lines battling the foolishness initiated by Ahab and Jezebel (the evil king and queen of Israel mentioned in 1 Kings 16-22).

Elijah was understandably afraid after Jezebel made threats against his life.The bigness of the trees that he was coming against seemed more powerful and stronger than what he could take on alone, but the faithfulness of God was present with Him every step of the way.

Our human flaw is that we attempt to tackle things that

God never called for us to tackle on our own.

Elijah remained faithful to his divine assignment despite his own emotions. Within his faithfulness with the presence of fear, Elijah willingly went into the desert to tell God that he wanted to die. So many people find themselves sharing the same emotions that Elijah did but the beauty of this moment in time is that God was present with Him.

In the midst of what you are going through, pay attention to where your struggles lead you physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Elijah took 1 day's journey into a desert that God never called him to be in. He isolated himself and told no one where he was going. God saw Elijah, made sure that he was fed, led him out of the desert onto Mt. Horeb (the mountain of God), and asked him, “why are you here?”.

Many of us are like Elijah. We allow ourselves to willingly go into a dark place when life makes us feel like that is where we should be, but unlike Elijah, we fail to allow God to personally minister to us while we are there.

When you are sad, mad, discouraged, depleted, feel inadequate, like you don’t belong, or when you have any other feeling that takes you into a place of despair, allow yourself to hear God as He asks you, “why are you here?”. Answer Him honestly and know that He has a plan to lead you out of the desert and into a place of peace in Him.

Lord, intervene concerning my emotions. I pray for your presence in every area of my life, and I pray that you will fill the places in my heart that are empty. Lord, even the desert can be overwhelming, but I pray that you clothe me with the words that you spoke in Jeremiah 29:11. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Recommend Reading:

1 Kings 19

Jeremiah 29:11

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