Readings for today: 1 Kings 19, Acts 12:1-23, Psalms 136, Proverbs 17:14-15
I love the story of Elijah. I love his faithfulness. I love his courage. I love his passion. I love his heart. What makes Elijah so great was his ability to listen to the Word of the Lord. His sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. His humble submission and willingness to sit in God’s presence in silence. There was nothing great about Elijah. Nothing unusual. Nothing out of the ordinary. He was simply a human being. A human being like any other human being. A man just like any other man. But he was called to play a specific role in God’s Kingdom and the life of Israel.
Elijah was a prophet. A man set apart to hear the Word of the Lord and deliver it to God’s people. The Word of the Lord came to Elijah, telling him there would be a famine in the land and to go and live by a brook where the ravens would feed him. When the brook ran dry, the Word of the Lord came to Elijah and told him to go to Zarephath where a widow would care for him. When the widow’s son died, the Word of the Lord came through Elijah to raise him the dead. The Word of Lord challenged Elijah to risk his life and confront King Arab. Queen Jezebel. 450 prophets of Baal. After a miraculous victory, the Word of the Lord opened Elijah’s eyes to see the coming rain. When Elijah ran for his life, the Word of the Lord again came to him bringing comfort and peace.
This one of my favorite stories in Scripture. Elijah falling into a deep depression after his greatest victory. He must have wondered to himself, “What more can I do? I literally just called down fire from heaven and still it is not enough to bring Ahab and Jezebel to repentance.” But once again, Elijah leaned on the Word of the Lord. He traveled to the mountain of God. The same mountain where Moses received the Ten Commandments. The same mountain where God revealed Himself to Israel in fire and smoke and great darkness. On this same mountain, Elijah meets with God. The wind howls. The earth shakes. Fire breaks out. Finally there is silence. God speaks. Whispering His will to His beloved prophet.
I have no idea what life is like for you right now. Perhaps you are feeling buffeted by hurricane force winds. Perhaps you feel the earth giving way beneath your feet. Perhaps fire has broken out threatening to burn everything you’ve built to the ground. Maybe you’ve just won an incredible victory. Achieved a lifelong dream. Found professional success. Perhaps you’re depressed and lonely and anxious and afraid. Maybe you’re even considering taking your life. Let the story of Elijah encourage you. God is not done with you! He meets you in every season of life! He is with you on the mountaintop when everything is going so well. He is with you in the valleys when it feels like you can barely go on. He is speaking to you. He has some things to say to you. You are His beloved and He will never leave you or forsake you.
How can you tune into what He’s saying? You have to do what Elijah did. You have to get quiet. You have to build time in your life for silence. Turn off the devices. Turn off the television. Turn off the ringer on your phone. Get by yourself. Find a spot to be alone. It could be in your home. Out on a trail somewhere. Even in your car. God speaks to us in whispers. He will not raise His voice to compete with the chaos of our lives. He will not talk over us. He will not interrupt us. He simply will wait until we are ready. Wait until we slow down. Wait until we get quiet. God wants you to hear Him today. He wants you to hear the things He has to say. Listen, friends. Give Him the space to speak and you will find the peace and comfort your soul craves.
Readings for tomorrow: 1 Kings 20-21, Acts 12:24-13:15, Psalms 137, Proverbs 17:16