Introduction

Good morning, brothers and sisters. Our topic today is a crucial one, because it's about our zeal for the Lord - recognizing when it's drying up, rejuvenating it, and relying on the Lord for strength.

As A.W. Tozer once said, "The world is perishing for lack of the knowledge of God and the Church is famishing for want of His Presence." Perhaps you've been feeling a little bit like that lately - like your zeal is starting to dry up and you're longing for God's presence.

Let's turn to 1 Kings 19:1-18. This is the passage where Elijah, after a spiritual victory, becomes afraid and runs for his life. He is exhausted, depressed, and ready to give up. But God meets him in that place, rejuvenates him, and sends him back out to continue His work.

[Read passage]

This passage goes on to describe how God feeds Elijah, speaks to him, and gives him a new mission. As we explore this passage today, let's ask God to speak to us, to feed us, to rejuvenate our zeal, and to give us a fresh mission.

Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, as we dive into your Word today, we ask that you open our hearts and minds. Show us where our zeal for you may be drying up, inspire us with new enthusiasm, and help us to rely on you for strength. We know that in our own power, we can do nothing, but with you, all things are possible. Amen.

Recognizing Our Drying Zeal

Recognizing our drying zeal is the first step in rejuvenating our passion for the Lord. It's not always easy to admit, especially when we're in a community of believers who seem to be on fire for God. But it's crucial to be honest with ourselves and with God about where we're at. The Bible is full of examples of people who experienced spiritual dryness. Even King David, a man after God's own heart, cried out in Psalm 42:1, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God." He was expressing a deep thirst for God, a longing that wasn't being satisfied.

Our modern world: There are many things that can cause our zeal for God to dry up. We can become distracted by the busyness of life, by our jobs, our families, our hobbies. We can become discouraged by the problems in the world, by the suffering we see around us, by the challenges we face in our own lives. We can become disillusioned by the church, by the failings of other Christians, by our own failings.

The symptoms are often the same: We may find ourselves going through the motions of our faith, attending church and reading our Bibles out of habit rather than out of a genuine desire to know God more. We may find ourselves feeling distant from God, unsure of His presence in our lives. We may find ourselves struggling with doubt, questioning the truths we once held dear.

Recognizing this can be difficult: It requires a level of self-awareness and honesty that we're not always comfortable with. But it's only by acknowledging our spiritual dryness that we can begin to address it.

The story of Elijah: We see an example of a man who was at the end of his rope. He was exhausted, depressed, and ready to give up. But instead of hiding his feelings, he cried out to God in his despair. He was honest about his situation, and because of that, God was able to meet him in his place of need and rejuvenate his zeal.

Do the same: We too can cry out to God in our times of spiritual dryness. We can be honest with Him about our doubts, our fears, our frustrations. We can ask Him to rejuvenate our zeal, to reignite our passion for Him. And we can trust that He will meet us in our place of need, just as He met Elijah.

Not a sign of failure: It's a sign of growth. It's an opportunity to deepen our relationship with God, to learn to rely on Him more fully, to experience His grace in a new way.

Pastor, here would be a good place to share a personal story about a time when you recognized your own zeal was drying up and how you dealt with it. How did this affect your faith and your life?

Rejuvenating Our Zeal for the Lord

Rejuvenating our zeal for the Lord is not a one-time event, but a continuous process that we must engage in throughout our Christian journey ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO