We’re busy with 1 Kings 18. We’re mirroring our hearts in the life of Elijah so we can see who the real men and women of God are.
After the false prophets were sorted out, “Elijah said to Ahab, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.” So Ahab went off to eat and drink...” (1 Kings 18:41, 42a). This godless, evil, prophet killing king simply obeyed. He had all the power in his hands and had always done whatever he wanted to do in total disregard of the Lord or His people. I can imagine that he also had his displays of power and entertainment by humiliating and killing people publicly, but a display of power, such as God’s through Elijah on Carmel, he hadn’t seen before. So when this recluse, this ordinary man of practically no reputation told him, this powerful king, to go eat and drink he simply obeyed.
If we would just realise what difference we’ll make in this world if we’re totally committed to the Lord as an army of Christians, we’ll do something about it. Ahab knew little about Elijah. He hadn’t seen Elijah for more than three years (V10) and when Elijah met with him, he called Elijah a troublemaker. So why would he have obeyed Elijah? He saw the power of God in Elijah. When Elijah had told him more than three years earlier that it wouldn’t rain, he probably believed him since Elijah had a reputation by then, but even if he hadn’t, the drought had proven Elijah’s word from the Lord. The display of God’s power on Carmel was just the cherry on the top.
I’d like to remind us that Elijah was a man just like us (James 5:17), but he was totally committed to an amazing God. The secret was that he had nothing to distract him from his calling. He had no possessions, family commitments or personal ambitions that would keep him from being totally surrendered to God’s will. We see in 1 Kings 19:19-21 that when Elisha was called, he also gave up everything and so did Jesus, Paul, the other apostles and many other people of God through the ages.
The Lord called each individual to their task. Some are called to live by faith and reach out to whoever they’re called to, and others have a job because they are called to be evangelists within their job and wherever they walk. But wherever we’re called to, we need to show the amazing power of the Lord. We need to believe He’d like to use us just as he used Elijah. If all Christians would realise our potential that Jesus put inside of us - “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father,” (John 14:12) – and live by it, the world will look at the church in a different light and we will live in permanent revival like the first church did.
The church shouldn’t be scared of the world barking at us. The world should fear the God of the church whom they see through the faith and powerful actions of millions of individual Christians believing God, just as Ahab did Elijah. We give up too easily. We should get rid of distractions, pray and believe the Lord till we see something happening (Luke 18:1-8) and, once we’ve learned the secret of moving in God’s power wherever we’re called, nothing will stop us. Ever since I’ve learned to pray non-stop (see ‘Be a Babbler’ posting), things started to change at work, elsewhere and I look forward to greater things.
Lord, please teach me to serve you and you only in your power?
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