I Kings 19:1-3
Elijah Flees Jezebel
19 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” 3 Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life…”
God gives many blessings. Some of these blessings are the great miracles that have become so commonplace that we don’t recognize them. For instance, your physical life, our bodies, and the entire natural world are often nothing more than a background to our busy preoccupied lives. Spending quiet moments in prayerful thanksgiving helps us to see these blessings and find profound joy in God’s faithful love.
There are also blessings that are so astonishing that they can’t be missed. One such blessing was a victory of God over the false prophets of Baal. The prophets of Baal were a wicked, murderous cult of human sacrifice. They were supported by the government. No one would have thought that there could be any salvation from such a horrible situation. Anyone would think that the nation was doomed.
But, human power (whether it is in the form of governments or false prophets) cannot overrule the Lord and His Will. At the right time, God demonstrated His power and overcame the false prophets and the murderous king and queen. It is important that we remember this example of God’s mercy and pray earnestly that the Lord would restrain evil in our day as well.
But, what happened next is also important for us to see. Elijah, after seeing the power of God over evil, was terrified by the threats of the government who did whatever it wanted. The queen, in particular, lived as if God didn’t exist. Her threats were real to her. She intended to kill Elijah. This struck terror into Elijah. So, Elijah ran away.
What can we learn from this? We should expect that satanic evil, especially in the form of wicked governments, will continue to cause great suffering in this world. But, just because human wickedness can cause so much suffering, it doesn’t mean that God’s plan of eternal salvation in Jesus no longer stands. Not at all. God’s plan of salvation will continue to the very end. We have the witness of the whole Bible to see that this is true!
Therefore when we are terrified by the wickedness of the world, we are not alone. We stand with Elijah, who confessed his sins and prayed to the Lord. We are be sustained by Jesus, who died on the cross for our sins and rose again for our salvation. Therefore, even the darkest day of setback in this life will not change the fact of Jesus’ forgiveness of your sins, your eternal future at the resurrection of the dead, and the presence of God the Holy Spirit to sustain your faith today and always.
Let us pray
I thank your Lord for the great miracles that you work every day. I especially thank you for restraining the evil and maintaining the witness of your church around the world. Help me to be faithful, brave, and joyful in your service. In your name I pray, AMEN
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come,Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.