Just You
Elijah just had a pretty incredible experience. He faced off against hundreds of pagan priests, boldly daring them to have their god send fire to ignite the sacrifice. According to 1 Kings 19, Elijah watched the Baal worshipers pray, dance, even cut themselves for hours, all to no avail. Elijah even taunted them… “Shout louder! Maybe he can’t hear you. Keep asking! Maybe he’s in the bathroom and will be back in a minute!” He was a pretty confident prophet. After giving the priests of Baal their chance, Elijah prayed to the one true God to ignite his sacrifice. He watched wide-eyed as God answered in a HUGE way, completely consuming the sacrifice with fire from Heaven. Then things got nasty quickly, and 450 prophets of Baal were slaughtered. But the day wasn’t over yet. Elijah prayed for God to send rain to end the drought. And sure enough, God answered and sent rain. Overall, it was kinda a big day.
But afterwards, there isn’t much time to revel in victory for Elijah because Queen Jezebel sends word that she’s after him. She swears she will get revenge and promises to find and kill him. What does Elijah do? After being so full of faith, fearlessly challenging the nay-sayers, risking everything for God’s reputation, what does this mighty man of God do in response to the queen’s threat? He freaks out. He flees. And God sees it all.
God watches as panic takes over and drains Elijah’s faith. But instead of abandoning Elijah and his fickle faith, God runs after him. God meets him and minsters to him, giving Elijah the food, water, and rest he so desperately needs. But God’s not done. Elijah doesn’t realize it yet, but there’s something else he needs much more than physical sustenance. Don’t miss what God does next.
God speaks to Elijah. Not through a gale-force wind or an earth-shattering earthquake or a consuming fire, but through a soft whisper. And in the whisper, God teaches Elijah about Himself. In the middle of Elijah’s deep depression, God stops time to reveal Himself to Elijah. Because that’s what Elijah needs most. Surrounded by deadly threats, lacking the basic necessities, running for his life – Elijah needs a lot of things. Food, water, shelter, protection, encouragement. But what he needs most is God.
Elijah needs God to reveal Himself. He needs a fresh encounter with the Lord of the universe who creates, sustains, and controls everything. Through this encounter, Elijah’s spirit is humbled, his faith rekindled, and his purpose renewed. The challenging circumstances remain, but now Elijah remembers the complete sufficiency and matchless might of God.
Lord,
So many times when I’m overwhelmed or tired, I think I need a vacation or a gallon of ice cream, or even just time alone! But now I see, in these times when my energy and faith are on empty, what I need most is not a break or chocolate. I need you. Just you. I need a fresh encounter with you. So that’s what I’m asking for, God. Just you. Reveal yourself, God. Speak to me. Show off! Split the sky, shake the ground, or just softly whisper. I’m waiting, watching, and listening for you. Because YOU are what I want and need. Just you.
