Today's reading: I Kings 19, 20, 21; Psalm 16, 46, 76, 106, 136; Proverbs 16
I Kings 19:4, 6, 8"But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. "And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God."
As I sit here I am waiting to go to graduation tonight. I have worked for the past 4 (four) months at becoming a firefighter. I am too old to get into the pension program so nobody will hire me full-time. I would be eligible to work part-time if I can pass the state exam coming up later this month. This class was no cake walk. We actually went into a building that had a fire built in it and had to extinguish it three times. The class finished with 15 (fifteen) total students. We started out with 20 (twenty).
There are 2 (two) experiences that I remember from this class. One was that actual training burn. It was awesome! I could feel the heat through my personal protective equipment. I was charged with adrenaline. The other experience was a training I took part in that simulated a firefighter that had fallen through a floor and was injured and trapped. I still hear the one team calling out to the victim and assuring him that they were on the way to get him. The tears stream down my face still and this was two months ago. It was very realistic. My group did not fare too well. I was chosen by one of the full-time guys to be his partner. We worked together pretty well until that moment. The moment I ran out of air in my bottle. I was 6 (six) feet from the enormous bay door that was standing wide open. Thankfully my partner rescued the victim that last little bit by himself; but, then he came back for me. Our face masks were blanked out with paper towels so we could not see. Thankfully, I never wanted to stop. All I knew was one of my "brothers" was hurt and needed to get out of the building now. This was so real to me.
I am thankful that I was not alone. You see our Prophet Elijah thought he was all alone. God reminds him in I Kings 19:18, "Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him." What a feeling of security to know that someone has your back. Just like my partner came back for me that day so God will never leave you nor forsake you. He will carry you to the "door" if need be.
Maybe you know someone who is falling behind because they feel all alone. My challenge to you to go get them. Go to them and be there for them.
Everybody goes home!
