A new day dawned and the sun rose a lot higher than Elijah’s hopes.  In his cave, he still felt useless and slightly betrayed.  “Then God said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” (1Ki 19:11-13)

God was telling Elijah to come out of his cave and stand with his back to it. In the Bible, caves were never happy experiences. Abraham and others buried their loved in ones in caves. David hid in caves as he was rejected and pursued by those who should have loved him. We will all have a “cave times” but if we spend too much time there, the cave can start to feel like home. Often the worst thing about a cave, is that you have no vision from your standpoint.

Caves are not good places to hear from God but Gods word is always to turn your back on the pain, the lack of fruitfulness and failed expectations.   Purposely turn toward the Lord and position yourself to hear again.     Before Elijah could move outside, the Lord passed by.  Winds and earthquakes split the rock with its power but God was not in any of these things for Elijah.  Manifestations without a meeting with God are meaningless.  Father’s gentle voice was needed to heal the heart of the prophet and it came.

Friend, don’t make a cave, your home.  Don let yesterday’s pain determine your expectations for today.  Don’t get stuck. Tomorrow is not going to be the same as yesterday. Turn your back on your cave. Don’t listen for a mighty manifestation but for His voice. He has something to say that will restore your heart and answer your pain. If He asks you “What are you doing here? It is only because God never wants you to be in a place where you doubt His care or become stuck in your circumstance.

The Grace of God creates, empowers, equips and calls us for a purpose all by grace.  Paul said “According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. (1Cor 3:10)  The Grace given to Paul enabled him in his ministry. He built according to the Grace he was given.  The Grace of God is a gift to everybody but when we receive the Grace of God, He gives something to each of us in a unique way as well, so that the Grace you get, is specific to you in some way.  Grace equips you for a specific task and ministry.  Paul said it enabled him to labour abundantly.   “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (1Cor  15:10).  Paul said the Grace of God in him enabled him to be a church planter, a grace which not everybody has.   The Grace of God equipped Paul for his purpose. When you have received a Grace from God, you have received a gift to do something.   Everybody has received a Grace.   Gifts like our motivational gift are from Grace, so you can do that thing really easily.  A server will serve and enjoy it a lot.  An Administrator gift won’t get stressed out having to operate that gift because it is a Grace upon their life, yet somebody else who does not have that grace, could be stressed by it.   It is the difference between burning the oil in the lamp or burning the wick of the lamp. People burnout if they haven’t been using the oil or gift of the spirit so they have to do something they are not gifted to do and end up burning the wick.  So we need to find out what it is we are graced to do and do that.

Friend, Grace is not just a doctrine to be discussed; the Grace of God is something that can be experienced.  You have experienced the grace of God if you’ve experienced Jesus working in your life.