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Elijah’s single-minded commitment to God shocks and
challenges us. He was sent to confront –not to comfort. And Elijah spoke God’s
words to a King who often reject his message just because he brought it. Elijah
chose to carry out his ministry for God alone and paid for that decision by
experiencing isolation from others who were also faithful to God.
It is interesting to think about the amazing miracles God
accomplished through Elijah, but we should do well to focus on the relationship
they shared. All that happened in Elijah’s life began with the same miracle
that is available to us-he responded to the miracle of being able to know
God.
For example, after God worked an overwhelming miracle
through Elijah in defeating the prophets of Baal, Queen Jezebel retaliated by
threatening Elijah’s life. And Elijah ran. He felt afraid, depressed, and
abandoned.
Despite God’s provision of food and shelter in the
wilderness, Elijah wanted to die. So God presented Elijah with an “audiovisual
display” and a message he needed to hear. Elijah witnessed a windstorm, an
earthquake, and a fire. But the Lord was not in any of those powerful things.
Instead, God displayed his presence in a gentle whisper.
Elijah, like us, struggled with his feelings even after this
comforting message from God. So God comforted Elijah’s emotions and commanded
action. He told Elijah what to do next and informed him that part of his loneliness
was based on ignorance: Seven thousand others in Israel were still faithful to
God.
Even today, God often speaks through the gentle and obvious
rather than the spectacular and usual. God has work for us to do even when we
feel fear and failure. And God always has more resources and people than we
know about. Although we might wish to do amazing miracles for God, we should
instead focus on developing a relationship with him. The real miracle of
Elijah’s life was his very personal relationship with God. And that miracle is
available to us.
Full Story: 1 Kings 17:1-2Kings 2:11
