Following his mountain-top experience, history records that the prophet Elijah ran
from the Lord and prayed to die. Isolated in the wilderness, the Lord
responded to his exhaustion with these words of affirmation, "The journey is
too much for you." When the Church is experiencing disillusionment and
discouragement and tempted to stray from God's presence and voice, we, too,
are at risk of calling it quits. How will you endure when exhaustion reaches its
climax and your journey is too much?
In When the Journey Is Too Much, Terri Woolbright explores the many
distractions that push us further and further from God and more at risk of
falling away. The theme of "exhaustion" is brought to light as we look at Elijah,
Peter and David, among others, and observe how God responded to each of
them when they found their journeys to be too long.
Woolbright tells of encounters with others expressing discouragement and
a desire to throw in their spiritual towels and call it quits; she shares the
message that God sent her: "The Enemy is attacking the Church today,
beginning with leaders, and he's hitting below the belt. He'll convince them to
quit." We'll explore this, and Christ prophesies that many will fall away from Him while
exploring the disguises of quitting. Woolbright's stories and
experiences will challenge us to remove any pretense and lean into God's
presence, and find encouragement together to create a culture where the
Church can heal and endure when our journey is too much.