Prepare to Stand: Scene Four
We left off last week with the dramatic face off between Satan and God (upper story), although there remains a lower story; they still need rain. Ba’al was the ‘storm god’ but the Creator of storms proved His supremacy by holding it back.
If you’re a runner you can appreciate the miraculous sprint of 30 miles Elijah completed beating the horse-driven chariot of Ahab. God’s power continued to be proven in this prophet as the divine storm brewed and finally poured out the much needed rain.
When the king whined to Jezebel about his defeat at Mt. Carmel she was raging angry. Her malicious intent was to destroy this prophet who was a thorn in her side. Sending out a death threat Elijah responded in an inconceivable way (1 Kings 19). You’d imagine he stood boldly in the face of death, but not this time. Intimidation and fear filled his heart and he ran away like a coward. He let his emotions control his heart.
His fear led to depression, which led to hopelessness, and that’s when things got dangerous. But God, in His mercy and compassion, continued to show Elijah that He was the Provider and would stand up to his enemies in His strength as Moses was promised,
He will give their kings into your hand, and you shall make their name perish from under heaven. No one shall be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them. Deuteronomy 7:24 ESV
Did Elijah remember hearing about those promises? God’s Word will always encourage you when making a stand, but it won’t always be a ‘showdown’ experience, a tornado-like wind, an earthquake, or fire from the sky. God showed Himself in the low whisper of His Word that soothed Elijah as he retreated, in his weakness, into the presence of God (19:13). “What’re you doing here, Elijah?” God asked him twice as if to say, “Can’t you just trust Me?”
Elijah thought he was all alone, but he wasn’t. He had the presence of God (upper story) which is sometimes all we have, but apparently God had 7,000 faithful men prepared to stand alongside him (lower story). I’m so grateful that as we retreat into prayer and worship God assures us as well that we’re not all alone either; He has just the right number of faithful believers who will stand with us.
Studying a Bible character like Elijah reminds us that God knows our strengths but also our weaknesses; He knows we are but flesh and blood with emotions that can go haywire. However, He has also given us the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts giving us guidance and power to fulfill whatever mission He gives us. As we prepare to stand in the face of opposition may we remember that the Spirit of God is also our Provider and we’ll have what we need to be the Nike Believer (overcomer) He’s called us to be.
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