P.U.S.H.

P.U.S.H. by Marcie Bridges

And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, ⁴³ and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.”

So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.”

⁴⁴ Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!”

1 Kings 18:41b-44a

 

Have you heard of the acronym using the word PUSH? We Christians love to make and use them.

For example, one of the most common ones is JOY: Jesus, Others, You. It means we need to put Jesus first in our lives, then others, then ourselves.

Or how about FROG? Fully Rely On God. A bit self-explanatory.

And probably the most used of all time: W.W.J.D.? What Would Jesus Do? In our world of always following along with the crowd, this particular one carries the message that when we don’t know what we should do, we need to stop and ask ourselves what would Jesus do in this situation. A simple, but poignant idea even children can understand and use to make wise decisions.

Which leads me to my first question. Do you know the acronym P.U.S.H.? This particular one is fairly new. It stands for: Pray Until Something Happens.

Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” 42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, 43 and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.”44 Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’ ”
1 Kings 18:41-44

Here is the story of when Elijah was persistent in praying for rain. Three years earlier Elijah had prayed for and proclaimed a drought upon the land. God heard his prayer, and the drought lasted for three years until such a time as Elijah prayed once again and asked God to remove the drought.

But here’s the thing. God did not answer his prayer right away. Notice in verse 43 it says: And seven times he said, “Go again.”

Seven times. Elijah persistently prayed until God answered his prayer.

Now turn your bible pages to James 5:16b, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

Do you know what fervent means here? In the Greek it means “(figuratively) to show great zeal; be ardently passionate (literally “boiling” with interest or desire); “to be deeply committed to something, with the implication of accompanying desire – ‘to be earnest, to set one’s heart on, to be completely intent upon’ “” ¹

As we go into this new year, I wonder if we are deeply committed to praying about our writing careers. I heard through some grapevines last year that quite a few authors have decided to quit writing. They see no reason to keep going because their books are either not selling at all or making very little profit.

But the question becomes, who are we writing for? Why are we writing? Are we doing it solely for the money or are we doing it for God? Are we seeking treasure upon earth or heaven?

If you find yourself at a crossroads this year on whether or not to continue writing and trying to publish your works, then perhaps you need to shut down the computer, put down the pen, fold up the paper, and earnestly, fervently, passionately seek God until He gives you an answer.

Seven times the servant went to see if there was a cloud in the sky. 6 of those times Elijah got a “no”. On the 7th there was a small cloud that quickly became an abundance of rain.

Perhaps this is the year you get your yes from God. Are you going to call it quits right before the rain starts pouring? Keep praying. Keep knocking. Keep asking. Keep seeking.

Pray until something happens.

Happy New Year 2019!
Marcie 🙂

¹https://biblehub.com/greek/2204.htm

photo used with permission www.pixabay.com

Marcie Bridges is the Author Care Representative for Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas — LPC. When not caring for the authors Marcie is also a freelance editor and a lover of all things Jesus, family, chocolate, laughing and smiling.

authorcare@lighthousepublishingofthecarolinas.com

www.lpcbooks.com  and www.shoplpc.com