We all want it, well, I think most of us do. Success, although I’m not talking about the selfish, self-serving type of success. Regardless of how you define success in your particular vocation, success seems to be a term thrown around in our world today – successful businessman, successful parent, successful pastor, successful marriage, successful church, and whatever else you can add. With all this talk about being successful, is there a downside? I believe there can be. There is a great story in the Bible concerning the downside of success found in 1 Kings 18-19. Elijah, the prophet of God during the reign of Ahab (874-853 BC), spoke out against Israel’s worship of false gods, including Baal. Ahab is called the most evil king than all who were before him (1 Kings 16:30) and also the one who angered God more than any other king prior to his rule (16:33). This was spoken of Ahab because he was the one responsible for dragging Israel into the worship of false gods. As a judgment, God caused a three and a half year drought to come upon Israel. Toward the end of the drought, Elijah called for the 450 prophets of Baal to meet him on Mount Carmel where there was a showdown to determine which god was true – Baal or the God of Israel (1 Kings 18:20-40). In a miraculous display of power, Elijah called down fire from heaven and God demonstrated that He was the one and only true God. Elijah then had all 450 prophets of Baal executed for their part in leading Israel into the worship of false gods (1 Kings 18:40). After this monumental event in Elijah’s ministry, God caused it to rain again in response to the prayers of Elijah (1 Kings 18:41-46). Most people would read this and think, success.

However, when you turn the page, Elijah is being threatened by Ahab’s evil wife, who basically promises that she will have Elijah killed as he had killed the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 19:1-2). Forgetting about the supernatural displays of power he had just witnessed, Elijah becomes fearful of Jezebel, runs for his life (19:3), and begs God to kill him (19:4). What happened? I believe two things are clear in this story: 1) success is often followed by an immediate challenge, and, 2) past success does not guarantee future success. Elijah forgot that the God who sent fire from heaven was the same God who could deliver him from his current situation.

I wonder if I’ve forgotten…

We recently committed “cell phone provider adultery” by leaving Verizon Wireless, whom we have been with almost a decade, and going with their bitter rival, AT&T. The first few months have been an adjustment – new phones, new customer service, and a whole new process to learn. One of the things we did not anticipate in our initial switch was that most of our family still has Verizon as their service provider, so we went over our minutes in our first month because we lost our free mobile to mobile minutes. On the last day of our billing cycle I checked our minute usage and we were already 50 minutes over, which would have incurred more than $20 in overage charges. Maybe that is not a problem for you, but I HATE paying overage charges for anything! On a whim, I contacted AT&T customer service and explained my dilemma and the gentleman was very kind in listening to my predicament. As I was talking, I was thinking, “This guy probably thinks I’m an idiot! There’s no way he is going to respond to my request.” To my surprise, the AT&T customer service representative understood and told me that he would add 200 minutes to my account and that if I didn’t use those extra minutes this month, they would roll over to next month.

I learned something through that process – asking must precede receiving. Without asking, you’ll never receive. Maybe the reason you have not yet received something is because you’ve never asked. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).

While spending some time alone with God yesterday, I felt the need to confess feelings of apathy I’ve been experiencing in certain parts of my life lately. As I was praying, I sensed the need to locate some Scripture which could serve as a challenge for restoration and revival in my personal connection with God, so I randomly opened up the Bible and it fell to Psalm 80. Here is what I read,

“Restore us, O God; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved! O Lord God of hosts, How long will You be angry against the prayer of Your people? You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in great measure. You have made us a strife to our neighbors, and our enemies laugh among themselves. Restore us, O God of hosts; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved!” (Psalm 80:3-7)

Even though this passage was most likely written as a prayer for the nation of Israel to repent of their apostasy and be restored to God, I am convinced that this principle is still applicable today. There are times when all of us become distracted or even blinded by apathy and need God to restore our hearts to the time when we first fell in love with Him. When I “randomly” opened up the Bible today, I believe God knew exactly what I needed and I’m now praying that He will restore me each day.

Not too long ago I began reading Luke’s account of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ and I have not been able to shake some truths I gleaned from the first chapter (Luke 1:5-25, 57-64). A couple named Zacharias (a priest) and Elizabeth were elderly, but felt unfulfilled in their lives because they had never been blessed with a child. It appears that they had prayed for years (1:13) that God would answer their request, but year after year God was silent and no answer was in sight. All hope seemed to be lost for this couple whom Luke describes as “righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless” (1:6). The question of fairness comes into view here because why wouldn’t God answer the desperate prayers of two people who were doing everything right? Little did they know that God was already at work…just not on their timeframe.

God sends an angel to Zacharias in order to reveal that he and Elizabeth were going to be parents, but Zacharias has a hard time believing that a man his age was going to be able to…well, you know. The angel gives Zacharias a sign, which also doubles as a consequence for his disbelief, and he cannot speak until John (the Baptist) is born. In my opinion, Zacharias prayed for God to answer without being fully convinced that He would respond.

When the same angel later appears to Mary, the mother of Jesus and relative of Elizabeth, he reveals to her that Elizabeth is pregnant and will soon give birth. Luke documents the angel’s words to Mary, “Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible” (1:36). Our God specializes in making the impossible possible for those who are righteous and walking in His ways.

Maybe you’re tired of asking? Maybe you are convinced that God is not listening? But maybe tomorrow or the next day is the day God will arrive and make what once seemed impossible a reality.

You can hear more of my unfiltered thoughts on this story at the Summit this coming Sunday at 10:15am!

I’ve been praying for years. I’m not talking about the Ben Stiller, Meet the Parents prayer or the Will Ferrell, Talledaga Nights prayer, but real times of conversation with God. I don’t say that in pride or arrogance, but as someone who has practiced a spiritual discipline consistently, yet has never felt as if I am doing it quite right. Although I’m confident God is listening, I always walk away thinking I should be further developing this habit. Over the last several weeks, I have been in one of my many dry spells which, I believe, plagues every individual who prays. You know what I’m talking about? You begin asking questions such as, “Is God interested in my prayers?” “Is prayer really worth my time?” “Does prayer make a difference?” Instead of giving up, I usually try to push through these desert times and pray anyway. I must admit – sometimes it is difficult to continue on; however, I know it will eventually pass.

This week I decided to be more intentional about my prayers by actually writing them out. It was just what I needed. Seeing the words to my prayers in my own handwriting forced me to see exactly what was near to my heart.

So, it’s time for you to contribute. What things have helped you push through times when God seems distant? What can I do next time I enter a desert moment?