God has a purpose

And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

10He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

11The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

14He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

15The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.18Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”

THOUGHTS: God sometimes speaks through natural disaster- earthquake, wind, and fire.  But this time he spoke to Elijah in a "gentle whisper" or "Still small voice" (KJV).  God asked what he was doing there.  The answer could have been I am tired and depressed and afraid. 
       God is giving Elijah hope. He tells him to get some leadership help- Elishah, Hazael, and Jehu.  He also tells him that his power will come back through these leaders.  He also tells Elijah there are 7,000 who have not polluted the true worship of God with Baal worship.  God is not without the church.  There never has been a time and never will be a time.  God is on the throne.  He was still working with Elijah though he  thought his time was up.  With the sharp rise of suicides lately, perhaps all of us can recognize this with Elijah.  He was willing for God to take him home.  But God was not finished with him yet, though Elijah thought he was finished.  God has a purpose for everyone.  

Prayer: Lord, when I feel used up, let me know of your love.

Elijah and the angel

1Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”

3Elijah was afraid^a and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.

All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

7The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9There he went into a cave and spent the night. (1 Kings 19)

Thoughts: It is amazing that Elijah had just proved that the Lord is God and all the people confirmed this.  Yet Jezebel was determined to kill Elijah and he had to run for his life.  No one supported Elijah.  He was deserted though he was proved right. He was depressed and exhausted.  As great a prophet as Elijah was, he was overwhelmed with sadness and tiredness.  The angel of the Lord came, however, to encourage and strengthen him.  He thought he was the only one left and he was to be killed.  He felt alone and deeply sad for the cause of God and for his own cause.  But God strengthened him and spoke to him words of hope in the next verses. 

Prayer: Lord, may I always find hope in you.  When I am alone, let me find hope in you. 

6/4/13- Not Alone- When Facing Temptation

14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

15 The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet...18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”

Thoughts: In these verses Elijah felt all alone, and knew the church had shrunk from what it was to a small minority- drifting away into a syncretism of pagan sexual pleasure and worship of Yahweh. Baal was a fertility God who encouraged extra-marital sexual practices as a way to prosper the land.
    There are many countries where the church shrinks because of persecution or because of apathy or immorality.  Certainly the lesson of Church history is that there are times when the Church fails as a whole to be a light.  It was so in Elijah's time- to the point that he was certainly the only prophet left and all the priests and religious leader had given into the king's/government's ideas of morality.  Often the church has shrunk when it has refused to give in to sexual immorality, and the people have.
     In America, we too face such times.  The sexual revolution has decimated the Church but also decimated people.  The number one cause of homes breaking up is adultery (27% of divorces).  But our culture also is plagued with rape (1 in 6 women will experience rape/sexual assault in the USA), pornography (a $97 billion industry worldwide- and a $13 billion industry in the USA), fornication (more young partners are living together than getting married in the USA- first time in our history this has happened) The number one reason people leave church is guilt, and a feeling that people will condemn them- often because of sexual sins.  In the past the human community universally (beyond just Christianity or religion) has made a distinction between animal behavior and human behavior, but today that distinction is blurred.  Thus sexual behavior that was once considered horribly immoral (abomination in Leviticus 18) is now considered acceptable and those who would speak against it are considered immoral or phobic.  Incest, homosexuality, polygamy, even child sex are more and more considered normative.  "Who we love" and "How we love" are considered none of God's or our business.  But children who have their homes destroyed could tell of deep heartache.  Women broken by sexual abuse may tell a different story as well.  Despite appearances- there are deep emotional scars in a divorce- even when one is necessary.  Free love and the old Baal worship (the fertility god) is alive and well.  Baal-ze-bub is no doubt smiling at the sacrifices of homes and hearts to him.
     Yet the hope of the church is found in these verses.  The Lord reminds Elijah that He is God and to get up and do His work.  He not only confronts the prophets of Baal, he now begins to re-build the kingdom by anointing others.
     At the end of the Lord's statement is a reminder to Elijah that indeed he is not the only one.  Of the hundreds of thousands in Israel there are still seven thousand (a symbolic number) who had not worshiped at the altar of sexual immorality.
    Elijah could not see the others in the church.  He felt alone and discouraged, and paralyzed.  It is hard but important to swim against the current when the current is going over the waterfalls.  It is important to know when we fight temptation that we are not alone.  It is also important to know that when even the Church falls into immorality, the Lord is able to build it up again.  God was reminding Elijah then, and reminds us today that we are not alone and that He is able to build the Church up from the hidden remnant. 

Prayer:  Lord, help me to remember I am not alone.  Not only are you with me, but your body is still alive and at work.  Keep me from being paralyzed by feeling alone or in the minority.