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I’m reading
in 1 Kings now and found many interesting and beautiful things about God. And I
learned something new about Elijah, a great prophet of God.
You may know
the story of when Elijah was on top of Mount Carmel. It hadn’t rained for three
years because the people of Israel were worshipping Baal, an evil god to whom
the people would sacrifice their live children by burning them to death.
Elijah told
King Ahab to bring the people and the prophets of Baal to Mt. Carmel. They
would have a contest between Baal and the Lord God. They would build altars and
pray; whichever God answered by fire, he was the true God.
After many
hours of praying, Baal did not answer. Elijah prayed and immediately fire came
down from heaven consuming the sacrifice and altar. The people said, “The Lord,
he is God.”
Elijah
thought the nation would change; he thought Ahab would quit worshipping Baal
and turn to God, but this did not happen. In fact, his wife Jezebel sent a
message to Elijah telling him she would kill him by the end of the day.
Elijah ran.
He ran into the desert, the same desert that Israel had to cross to get to the
promised land. And this is the part I had forgotten; he wandered in the
wilderness for 40 days.
I thought of
Jesus and when he went into the wilderness for 40 days. I thought of Israel and
how they had wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. God has patterns
throughout the Bible and here was another one.
Most commentators
of the Bible say Elijah was discouraged by the outcome of his work for God. He
probably thought his work was fruitless and wondered why he had risked his life
for nothing. He couldn’t see what God was doing or why. His faith in God was
tested.
When Israel
wandered through the wilderness, their faith was tested also. They came to a
day when there was no water. They thought they were going to all die of thirst
so they complained and wanted to go back to Egypt. They got angry at their
situation. God provided them with water, not just once, but many times. They
had no food left and were frightened. They didn’t trust God to feed them. They
said, “Can God make a feast in the wilderness?” Yes, he can and he did. These
things happened to make their trust in God strong but it didn’t work with that
first generation.
For Jesus in
the wilderness the test was the same. Did he trust his father? Would he
complain about being hungry and save himself? No, he didn’t. He could have made
the stones into bread but he knew if you or I were in the wilderness, we could
not do that. He came to live a human life, depending on God for everything.
Joyce Meyer
talks a lot about Christians going through a wilderness time. Everything around
them feels dark and hopeless. They cannot see the way out and wonder why God
allowed this to happen to them. We have a choice in these times, to trust and
praise God in the midst of them, or to complain and rebel against him.
I found two
songs lately that are so inspirational. The words are fitting for this subject.
No one can
take away, my hallelujah.
No darkness
can contain, my hallelujah.
Your cross
has made the way, for my hallelujah.
From the
song: My Hallelujah, by Brian and Katie Talwalt.
Give me hope
like Moses in the wilderness.
Give me faith
like Daniel in the lion’s den.
Give me a
heart like David, Lord be my defense.
Then I can
fight my giants with confidence.
From the
song: Confidence, by Sanctus Real.
“No darkness
can contain, my hallelujah.” We must not allow darkness to stop our praise and
love towards God. Remember how Jesus and his disciples suffered. No one is
immune to suffering; you are not alone. This world of pain is not our home;
Jesus walks beside you.
