In the present times where the world is full of UNCERTAINTIES, DOUBTS, QUESTIONS, PRIDE,

WORRIES, etc., which leads to our deviation away from God . . . Sometimes we can’t help it but
ask do we really deserve these? I give my tights. I help the poor. I prayed.

 According to RAVI ZACHARIAS in his book “GRAND WEAVER”. . .’Why has God made it
difficult to believe in him? If I loved somebody and had infinite power, I would use that
power to show myself more obviously. Why has God made it so difficult to see his
presence and his plans?”
 Ravi in his response to the question that was sent to him was called “the hiddenness of
God”.
 He didn’t answered the question directly.
 We could answer it in our individual capacity. Ones need of God may differ from the
other.
 How sure are we that if God shows His presence every time we’ll follow Him 100%? Is it
not that Peter walked Jesus? Slept with Him? Ate with Him? Sailed with Him? Yet, he
denied Christ 3 times.

Maybe it is not the good stuff that we really need but those unpleasant one’s that knocks the
sense out of us.

1 King 17: 1-24---Elijah in the desert.

1
Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe[a] in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel,
lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.”
2 
Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah:  3  “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith
Ravine, east of the Jordan.  4  You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to
supply you with food there.”
5 
So he did what the LORD had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and
stayed there.  6  The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in
the evening, and he drank from the brook.
7 
Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.  8  Then the
word of the LORD came to him:  9  “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there.
I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.”  10  So he went to Zarephath. When he
came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would
you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?”  11  As she was going to get it, he
called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”
12 
“As surely as the LORD your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of
flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a
meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”
13 
Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small
loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for
yourself and your son.  14  For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will
not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain on the land.’”
15 
She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for
the woman and her family.  16  For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run
dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah.
17 
Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and
worse, and finally stopped breathing.  18  She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man
of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?”
19 
“Give me your son,” Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room
where he was staying, and laid him on his bed.  20  Then he cried out to the LORD, “LORD my God,
have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to
die?”  21  Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried out to the LORD,
“LORD my God, let this boy’s life return to him!”
22 
The LORD heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived.  23  Elijah picked up
the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and
said, “Look, your son is alive!”
24 
Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of
the LORD from your mouth is the truth.”

“GRACEFULLY BROKEN”
“Story of the GLOW STICK’’

 the little boy was happy just swinging that unbroken glow stick around in the air
because he didn’t understand what it was created to do----which was to glow.
As a believer must undergo certain BREAKING in order for us hampered to have a Christ-like
character. In order for us to leave our old life since we are all new creations in God’s eyes. Like a
metal heated, forged into a useful tool. Budlay ibilin ang old habbits. Mas budlay nga habbit
mas masakit nga breakthrough. That why it is called gracefully broken.
In fact, if asked….most people, if not all would choose happiness over loneliness, success over
failure, fulfillment over emptiness, acceptance over rejection.

 Again, maybe it is not the good stuff that we really need but those unpleasant one’s that
will knock the sense out of us.
Arang may barkada ka bala, tapos gina into lang siya sang uyab niya tapos pa advice sa imo. Ang
advice mo buligan ya pero nabal-an mow ala niya ginsunod tapos sunod inadlaw hibi naman
siya sa imo.

Whether you want it or not God wants to break you—YES—every part of you.

 it may involve your whole being in its totality or a part of it.

 the promise is that God will always manifest His reasons why He went that far for
breaking you. God’s brokenness will always lead you to ANSWERS.

3 possible reasons why God allowed us to be GRACEFULLY BROKEN.

1. MAYBE BEACAUSE WE DON NOT RELY OR ACKNOWLEDGE GOD ANYMORE.
v.v. 17 
Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse
and worse, and finally stopped breathing.  18  She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me,
man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?”

 REMEMBER: In those times there were false prophets in the land. Those who are
prophets of Baal and also those who claims to be Gods prophet but were not called by
God. Sa pagkabalo ko si Elija lang ara da kag si Elisha.
 She knew who God is but there were many gods. That’s why when God allowed her son
to die and when Elijah had raised him from the dead she said:
v. 24 
Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word
of the LORD from your mouth is the truth.”

 Sometimes we tend to forget God when things are easy. When we have money in our
pockets. When we have stored enough food.
We become more self-reliant or self-dependent to a point that calling out to God is already an
OPTION rather than a DUTY.

 And it is for us to call to God when things become worst. When member of our family is
sick. If bills to be payed piles up. When friends/family betrays us.
We should depend on God alone PERIOD, not in wealth, not in friends. Psalm 62:5-12.
2. BECAUSE GOD WANTS TO HUMBLE YOUR/OUR PRIDEFUL HEART.
1
Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe[a] in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel,
lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.”

 REMEMBER: that in this scenario King Ahab as king of Israel started to believe in Baal
and not to his God and it was in this moment that there was a great banquet in the
Kingdom. King Ahab took pride of his wealth and other possessions which leads to his
thinking that he is invincible. So God sent him a famine.
Like King Ahab, we rob God of His Glory. Big or small details eventually it will pile up.

 I have done this, I have done that, I was the one helped, I was the one donated
 The things that we should have done in silence we brag aloud.
 We always think that we are entitle to something:
 Today’s generation, the millennials as well as those categorized as generation X they
always feel that they are entitled to something.
 They always want to express themselves nga may ipahambog gid.
 I heard of one incident where the child wished for his mother’s death.
 While it is true that the state protects our freedom of speech and of expression under
Article 3, section 4.
But, there are times where God wants you to exercise you FREEDOM OF SILENCE rather than
you freedom of speech and of expression.

 Goodnews: The Holy siprit will always convict us of our wrongs.

 Badnews: If we could no longer feel God’s conviction as our hearts turned callus.

3. FOR US TO KNOW GOD MORE

v. 24 
Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word
of the LORD from your mouth is the truth.”

 CONTINUE ON VERSE 18
 450 PROPHETS OF BAAL, 1 PROPHET OS GOD
 OFFERING OF TWO BULL
 LOUD SHOUT, LOUDER SHOUT, AND WOUND OFFERING.

 We’ll never know that God

 HEALER- SICK
 PROVIDER- EMPTY
 WITH US- ALONE
 GRACIOUS- BROKEN
-Put a bulb inside a jar – sealed it – the light cannot shine out unless the jar will be broken.
-Break the glow stick and you’ll know it will glow.
- I PRAY THAT GOD WILL BREAK US INTO TINY PIECES AND WE WILL LET HIM MAKE A
MASTERPIEACE OUT OF IT. IF GOD WAS ABLE TO CREATE THE UNIVERSE OUT OF DUST HOW
MUCH MORE A MASTERPIECE OUT OF YOU, SINCE GOD LOVED YOU.
THE NEXT TIME YOU FEEL LIKE A LOOSER, FAILURE, PAINED, HELPLESS AND HOPELESS---JUST
GLOW.
AT SOME OF OUR LIVES WE ARE AL MEANT TO BE BROKEN---GRACIUOSLY BROKEN.