Imagine being a prophet of the Most High God. You are called to stand alone amidst a sea of people that have abandoned you and the God you serve. They mock you. They despise you. They make it clear—you are not one of them. (Have you ever felt like an outcast?)
FIRE RAINS DOWN
1 Kings 18 presents a showdown of epic proportions. On one side of the ring are 450 heathen prophets of Baal. On the other side is just Elijah—the prophet of Jehovah. The challenge? To see whose god is the One True God. The one who responded to their prophets’ call with fire from heaven would prove to be the Almighty. The God of Israel responded to Elijah with an all-consuming fire.
A DEATH SENTENCE ISSUED
Enraged at her prophets' defeat, Queen Jezebel put a bounty on Elijah’s head—and he ran for his life. But wait … Didn’t Elijah just experience God’s power and presence in a mighty way? Could the Lord not also save him from the hand of Jezebel? Elijah lost sight of God’s sovereignty … but just for a moment as we’ll soon see. (Take heart, friend, fleeting moments of fear do not define us.)
THE JOURNEY IS TOO GREAT
Elijah ran until he reached the wilderness. Exhausted and thirsty, he collapsed underneath the shade of a juniper tree. As he slept, the Lord sent an angel to minister to him: "And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God."
1 Kings 19:7-8
Notice the Lord’s tender care in Elijah’s weakness. No scolding or shame, but sustenance to finish the journey. (God's work in you is not finished, and He will supply your needs.)
THE FALLACY OF FEAR
When Elijah arrived at Mount Horeb, the Lord asked him what he was doing there. Listen to Elijah’s response and see if you can spot the fallacy of fear: "He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away." 1 Kings 19:10
Do you see it? Elijah was fully convinced he was alone. He was separated from everyone he knew and loved—except One.
A PROPER PERSPECTIVE
Fear is often the product of a distorted perspective:
Elijah fled in fear because he lost sight of God’s sovereignty. (God is in control of all things.)
He sulked in solitude because he overlooked God’s presence. (God was in Elijah's wilderness. He is in yours, too.)
Elijah’s perspective changed when he communed with the Lord. Time with the Father calibrates our vision and brings reality into focus. Like a blurry camera lens that settles on its focal point ... Blurred lines disappear, and the true picture comes into focus. Fear is the fog that distorts our thoughts. It warps reality and prevents us from seeing the big picture. God should be the reference point around which everything else is viewed and brought into focus. He is unchanging, never failing, and ever present.
Article courtesy of Stacy Farrell
Writer | Speaker | Teacher
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