Articles
Are We Like Elijah?
In James 5:17 it says, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours…” But Elijah wasn’t just some random person off the street, he was a prophet of the Lord; surely, he can’t be like you and me? We often want to put characters in the Bible on a pedestal, as if they were inhuman, never sinned, and had a faith that is beyond the reach of a “normal” person like us. But if we look at Elijah’s story between I Kings 17-19, keeping in mind that he is a human just like us, it becomes a powerful encouragement.
At the beginning of chapter seventeen in first Kings, Elijah gains the knowledge that God was going to bring forth a severe drought in the land. Knowing that, would you have the faith to go back into the desert on the promise that a streamlet and ravens would sustain you? You can picture Elijah and you as the reader nervously thinking, “How much longer must I stay here, the water is drying up.” Yet, even if those thoughts ever existed in Elijah, they are not written in the Bible. You can surmise this must be because ultimately, Elijah leaned on the Lord’s understanding and not his own. Thus, when the water eventually did dry up, with faith Elijah went on as God instructed, and God performed miraculous feats through him.
Because of God, Elijah traveled through the drought ridden desert successfully for a second time. In the rest of chapter seventeen and chapter eighteen Elijah accomplishes many amazing deeds because of God; amongst them raising someone from the dead and ending the drought. Note that when Elijah commands the men in chapter eighteen they obey, but they still do not obey God. Then in chapter nineteen, despite overcoming many trials because of God, when Jezebel promises to try and kill Elijah, he runs afraid.
Think of how many times in your life that God has been with you and performed great feats but you still either deny Him or fear like He has never gotten you through struggles before. Think of how many times you obeyed other people and society before you obeyed God. Do you want to be the person who obeys God before all else? Do you want to have a faith like the Elijah that conquers his trials with God? Or do you want to be the Elijah who runs and hides as though you never knew God’s power? Do you have yet to fully obey God and abide with Him? Now you have the time to make things right with Him.
Inspired by: 1 Kings 17-19, Proverbs 3:5
