When You’ve Given Up

JAN 23 / Sunday – Read 1 Kings 17:8-16 / 1 Kings 18:20-39 / 1 Kings 19:1-15, 18

Overview: The Chance #2022 message series considers how God repeatedly gives us more than just a second chance when we screw up.

24 / Mon – The end  |  Read 1 King 17:8-16

Although it was King Ahab’s sin that brought God’s judgment, the drought and famine affected everyone. It was so severe this vulnerable widow and her young son were down to their last meal. Can you imagine how hopeless she felt? Yet when a stranger asked to share her meager fare, she did not hesitate. If you are at the end of your resources, don’t give up. Remember her miracle. God will provide your ‘daily bread’ too even though you don’t know how. What do you need most?

25 / Tue – Depleted  |  Read Psalm 23:2-3 / 1 Kings 19:1-8

What makes you feel like giving up? Is there some area where you feel too tired to keep trying? That is what happened to Elijah after a great victory over the false prophets of Baal in 2 Kings 18. How did God respond when Elijah asked God to let him die? It is interesting that the Lord ignored that request and instead provided food and rest. The words in verse 7 show the Lord’s compassion for his people. So are you getting enough rest and nourishment?

26 / Wed – Missing facts  |  Read 1 Kings 19:9-18

Once Elijah’s physical strength was restored, the Lord was able to address the discouragement of his soul. First God revealed Himself – not in tornado-like winds or a powerful earthquake or a raging fire – but in a gentle whisper. He gave Elijah the chance to verbalize the reason for his despair. Then the Lord gave Elijah some information he was missing. It changed everything. Has this happened to you? When tempted to give up, remember there is more to the story than you may know right now.

27 / Thu – What good will that do?  |  Read 2 Kings 5:1-14

Naaman was the commander of the Syrian army, well-respected and highly regarded by his king. This did not prevent him from contracting leprosy, a skin disease which was incurable at the time. When a young servant girl – a captive from Israel – said there was a prophet who could cure his disease, Naaman was desperate enough to try. Why did Naaman almost give up? Are you tempted to quit because the next step seems a worthless effort? If you know God is in it, act on it.

28 / Fri – Waiting with hope  |  Read Isaiah 40:27-31

Are there times when your prayers seem to go unanswered? Waiting is the last thing you want to do when a difficult season stretches past what you think you can endure. These encouraging words came from the prophet Isaiah to God’s people who thought they were forgotten, that the Lord didn’t see what was going on. What do these verses first teach you about God? Then what does it tell you about yourself? How can you apply the promise in verse 31 in your current situation?

29 / Sat – The pits  |  Read 1 Samuel 17:11, 41-50 / Psalm 40:1-3

As a boy, David faced a daunting foe and everything seemed against him – his age, lack of training, his position in life. But he didn’t give up. He took what he had in his hand and used it in God’s name. Later in life, David faced so much betrayal and opposition he often fell into an emotional pit. And God met him there. David’s psalms testify how the Lord repeatedly rescued him. Are you now or have you ever been in that place? When it happens, God will meet you there and rescue you too.