Happy Monday, y'all! It's blog day!! And we only have one more of these left until I have actually launched for training camp! (Don't worry, I'll still be posting during training and on the field). As all of my excitement grows, I keep finding myself feeling like I need to remember to ask God for everything I may need. Like if I forget to pray for peace and guidance or to not get super sick, then those things will be forgotten by God too. 

But the truth is that God comes anyway. God doesn't only show up when you ask Him to and in the ways you specifically pray, but He is always working. The Lord isn't like us; He doesn't need reminders to show up and work in our lives. He is ALWAYS doing it regardless of what we are saying. Now this isn't at all to say that we should just not talk to God at all if He doesn't need us to. We are still called to bring everything to God. 1 Kings 19 is one of my favorite passages of scripture, which may be weird to say because it's all about Jezebel trying to kill Elijah, but it shows so much that God never leaves no matter our circumstance. In this passage, Elijah, through the power of the Lord, has had all the prophets of Baal killed, and Jezebel is furious and wants to kill him too. So, in fear, Elijah runs away into a cave that is a 40-day journey away from where God has called Him. Earlier in 1 Kings, we see the Lord rain down fire on the prophets of Baal, yet when Jezebel threatens Elijah, he seems to forget what God has just done and runs away in fear. What's even crazier is that when God comes to Elijah in the cave and asks what he is doing there, Elijah doesn't act like what he is doing is showing his distrust in the Lord. 1 Kings 19:9-11 says, “There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” No where in this does Elijah ask for help or protection from the Lord, but rather tries to defend his faith and justify what he is doing. But, God doesn’t just walk away. God's response is not, “well since you didn't ask for help I wont give it”, instead it is full of grace and mercy and care for Elijah. 

Earlier in this passage, we even see how, while Elijah is actively running away from where God has called him, God sends an angel to provide food and water on his journey to sustain Him. Elijah didn't ask for this or even think He needed it, but God still provided. After Elijah has been in the cave for several days, God calls him to stand at the mouth of the cave, and He sends a fire, wind, and earthquake to pass. However, unlike what we would expect, God is not in any of those to come and rescue Elijah. Instead, after all this, God sent a gentle whisper to speak. After this, Elijah gives the exact same response He had after the first time God asks Him what he is doing in the cave. And again, God does not just leave at the lack of Elijah's requests. Instead, the Lord gives him clear instructions for Elijah's commission and protects him through his journey back. 

Now there is SO MUCH to unpack in this chapter that I really could write about forever, but what I want y'all to really get out of it today is that the Lord doesn't forget you. When you don't see the Lord working in the way you asked, it doesn't mean He dismissed you. And when you feel like you forgot to pray something, it doesn’t mean that God has also forgotten or won't show up in that way. The Lord is always working, and you are always on His mind as HIS CHILD! What a blessing it is to be on God's mind always, so let Him also always be on yours. 

Also, I encourage you to go and read all of 1 Kings 19 on your own because it really is such a powerful passage where God just continues to show up in the coolest ways ever!