The GT Weekend! ~ Sketched XI Week 1

Katelyn Palmer
June 24, 2023
Rest your soul through reflective journaling,
praying Scripture,
and worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!
This Week's Journeys

John 6:32-35
Then they said, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’ ‘I am the bread of life,’ Jesus told them. ‘No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again.”
Prayer Journal Entry
Lord, I am grateful to You for cultivating a faith within me that carries with it hope for this lifetime and the next. I ask You, Yahweh, to now cultivate a community around me, one that will strengthen me in my faith and lovingly point me back to You. (Hebrews 10:24-25) Like You provided Elijah for the widow (1 Kings 17:8-24), I need that communal support, the kind which will pray with me and for me (James 5:16-18). For this I humbly ask Your good gift of community.
Lord, I also ask for Your continued provision in my life just as You provided bread and meat for Elijah in the wilderness every day. (1 Kings 17:5-6) I know You have mighty things planned for my life, Lord, so I am praying for patience and courage (Psalm 27:14) as I continue to seek You and Your will daily (Psalm 63:1, Matthew 7:7).
I pray this in the Name of Your Son, Jesus, Amen!
Worship Through Song
Journal Prompts
The pattern of humanity through time regarding faith has not changed. We remain a tapestry of tragedy and faith woven together, as Ms. Bailey so eloquently put it earlier this week.
Meditating on the threads of tragedy can leave us feeling defeated with the same mindset Elijah had on day one of our study, “I can’t do this…I am only one man”. When we pull on the threads of faith, however, we are reminded of the biblical greats who came before us, like king David. His legacy of faith still teaches us today.
In Psalm 16, king David called on God for protection, believing in God as his personal refuge and shield from evil. We learn David first sought the Lord’s counsel before acting (2 Samuel 5:18-25), a reminder that we can’t, in fact, do this alone, but God can do it through us. Turns out, behind the storyline of “mighty David”, the true Champion was the Lord God all along.
David’s faith was founded in God’s character rather than what God had done for David, giving him the confidence to face the many trials that marked his reign as king of Israel. We, too, can have this confidence in our Lord if we follow David’s practiced example and intentionally preach biblical truth to our souls in times of affliction, combatting the devil’s lies with God’s Word. (Matthew 4:1-11)
I have enjoyed studying Elijah’s story in the unique manner of our Sketched theme; there are so many excellent examples of God’s faithfulness and provision in the storyline of his life.
Elijah was a man of faith who sought for the Lord’s power to be exalted over the heathen gods of his time, but he was also human just like us. He experienced doubt (1 Kings 19:9-10), fear (1 Kings 19:3), sorrow (1 Kings 17:17-21), regret (1 Kings 19:3-5), even the threat of death (1 Kings 19:2). He was wildly un-popular, yet he witnessed the life-giving power of the Lord (1 Kings 17:22-24), divine provision (1 Kings 17:3-6, 13-15); the Lord’s voice (1 Kings 19:12-13), victory over enemies (1 Kings 18:36-39), the Lord’s control over creation (1 Kings 17:1; 1 Kings 18:44-45), and the Lord’s mercy (1 Kings 19:18).
In the end, the Lord cultivated a faith in Elijah that continues to teach us today, a faith that illustrates the care God has for each one of us. How might the Lord be growing your faith in your current season?
People are broken and therefore unreliable, but Elijah knew the Lord would make a way for him in Zarephath whether the widow heeded God’s commands or not. He also knew the Lord had set this particular woman apart for His will, so she would have been strengthened by God to follow His commands.
When we rely on God to provide, we find it easier to leverage our vulnerability to create lasting and impactful relationships, ultimately bringing glory to God (1 Kings 17:24) and bringing God to lost people. The widow is an example of God’s strength in our weakness. He took the dire circumstances of this poor woman and her family and used them as a backdrop for the transformation He would bring in her heart and life.
Not only did He physically provide for the widow and her son during the drought, He provided for her for eternity when she demonstrated a true heart change as she believed on Yahweh through her own faith. One heart surrendered to the Lord in genuine faith can have generational impacts!
This story in Elijah’s life is also a great testament to the importance of community. This woman was prepared to die with her child, but together God and Elijah came alongside her and encouraged her. Who can you reach out to and come alongside today?
If you’re walking through your own difficult circumstances, take heart that the Lord sees you and is waiting for you to trust Him in faith just as the widow!
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This Week's Lock Screen

