Your Elijah Story

Hello & Hi,

How are you doing?

Today, I am here to share on a message you will only get to understand at the end, so flow with me, will ya?

So, you know Elijah yeah, yes same Elijah the prophet in the Bible, yeah that one. I have been sort of studying about him because he is some interesting character to me. I have alot of characters I love in the Bible but depending on the season I am in, I take time to study them individually. If you ever studied the character of Elijah closely, I bet you will be familiar with the excerpts here. So, in 1Kings 17, the Bible says Elijah proclaimed drought on the land of Gilead and he mentioned that there was not going to be any rain until he says otherwise, and it was so. What fascinates me is this: who or what inspired Elijah to declare that kind of tragedy on a nation? Was it God or was it because of the disobedience & hardness of heart of King Ahab? My bet is on the latter. Keep up with me.

Now let’s move on to chapter 18, we see how Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal by calling down fire from heaven to consume his offering which God answered. Also, we see how he prayed for rain and rain came. The concluding part is a funny one, it says “The hand of the Lord came upon Elijah and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel (1Kings 18:46).” If that wasn’t a miracle, tell me what is… I cannot tell for certain the time interval between the occurrence of these events but I feel they weren’t sparsely separated.

What happens next is a marvel to me, see 1Kings 19. I am not going to go into detail or tear the chapter into bits but I want to bring out one message that isn’t peculiar to Elijah alone. I am sure you will find yourself in it if you choose to be truthful. We have seen the trail of events thus far, and now we get to the part where the one that had been greatly feared in the land becomes the one that greatly feared who feared him. Don’t mind the English, I’m sure you get the gist. What baffles me is the fact that Elijah seemed to have forgotten that he was the one that said there wasn’t going to be any rain just a moment ago and there was no rain for years. Same him called down fire to consume his offering and the prophets, and it happened. Now, a woman says she swears by her gods that his life was going to be like one of the prophets he had killed and he became fearful. This man of God suddenly forgot how powerful he was.

My plight is this: did he truly know the God he served or he was going through some motions? Did he truly forget the miracles he only just performed? Guy, you did something that hadn’t been done until then and saw many miracles after. What was it that was in Jezebel’s letter or her person that made Elijah scared to his bones? Well, trust God to handle the situation like a pro that He is. Firstly, He took care of him. He made sure he was well fed and strengthened for the change of course he (Elijah) had orchestrated himself. He went in the strength of that food for 40days. Yeah you read that right, 40 whole days! Miracle was still following this man. God even made sure he slept well and travelled well. Only after that, did God ask him what his deal was and he answered that he was the only one left and they were seeking to kill him. Of course that turned out to be a pity story that was false. God then made sure he gave him another assignment first before He explained the truth to him. He was never in a haste to make Elijah see his flaws or make him feel better. He worked with him slowly and patiently.

We all have acted like Elijah more often that we will like to admit but we sure have. When we suddenly find ourselves in a difficult situation, do we remember the miracles and testimonies of yesterday? No, we become immediately immersed in the problem of the now. We make it look like this is the worst thing that could ever happen to any human and of all people God would permit it to happen to, us! So, before you overcriticize Elijah, check yourself first. What about the battles God helped you to win yesterday? What about the way He made for you when all the walls were closing? God never left Elijah; although he felt that way but we can see God never left. God was still performing miracles for and through him at his worst. God isn’t a fair-weather God, He doesn’t change like shifting shadows. He is a constant help in times of need. God is right in the middle of your story, accept His help. Elijah’s story isn’t there for us to laugh and judge him, it is there for us just like any other story in the Bible – to read, study and learn from. Are you doing that?

Until I write to you again, change your story, change your life.