Elijah: Human Like Us

Elijah seems bigger than life in 1 Kings 17 and 18. He confronts kings, pray effectively for a three and one half year drought, faces off against 450 prophets of Baal and successfully calls on God to bring fire from heaven to consume his sacrifice at Mt. Carmel.

But within a day of his biggest victory he is running for his life - depressed and terrified!

The scriptures are telling us this so that we will be sure to realize Elijah is not a superman. We can learn from his collapse as well as from his victories.

Elijah: Servant of God

In 1 Kings 18 we read about Elijah's return to have a final showdown with the prophets of Baal. This chapter is divided into four sections that demonstrate Elijah's relationship with different people. Some were faithful followers of Jehovah. Some were wicked and ungodly. Others were vacillating. Some were false prophets living by deception.

Elijah was a servant of the Lord who wanted everyone to honor the Lord, as they should. We can learn good things from Elijah's experiences here.

Elijah: Man of Prayer

Elijah was faced with terrible apostasy during the reign of Ahab and Jezebel. Elijah prayed, and the answer was a three and a half year drought. This was the answer to his prayers, but it sure was inconvenient. Elijah's 401k lost value. He lost his residence. He didn't have a way to make a living...

Is it possible that the whole pandemic is an answer to our prayers? What can we learn from Elijah?

Trust In The Lord

Hezekiah became king during the height of Assyrian expansion. As a young king he watched the Assyrians conquer his nearest neighbor, the kingdom of Samaria, and relocate the survivors to distant lands. He knew that the Assyrians would turn their attention to him next.

The account of what happened next is found in 2 Kings 18 and 19 and it is worth reading. The main idea is very clear. The most important thing we should do is to trust in the Lord!

Besieged AND Blessed

Just because there is a pandemic and we have to stay at home doesn't mean that we are not blessed! God is still on His throne! We can trust in him! He is our light and our salvation! He is our fortress - our refuge. And we have the privilege of worshipping Him in all his beauty and holiness!