Wednesday January 11, 2016

 

I want to share a story with you of a man who forgot his past. I want to share the story of Elijah. The story took place around 900 BC during the reign of King Ahab of Israel. King Ahab did something forbidden by God; he took a wife from another nation. It is possible you have heard of her, her name was Jezebel. Ahab brought her to the palace and she brought her pagan idols to Israel with her. After a period of time, God’s patience was running thin so He sent His prophet Elijah to tell the King to get his act together or suffer the consequences.

 

Elijah went before King Ahab and told him, that because of his of allowing the worship of pagan idols God was going to send a drought and there would be no rain in Israel. Elijah then turned around and walked away. After suffering the drought for some years, King Ahab became so infuriated with Elijah that he sent his army out to find him. When Elijah hears of this, he sets out to meet with the King even though he was told not to do so because the King was looking to kill him.

 

When Elijah met Ahab, he told him that he had a message from God for him. He told him to fetch all the prophets and false gods in order to prove who the real God in Israel was. Approximately 850 prophets arrived, Elijah challenged them and in front of all the people of Israel, he defeated all the pagan gods and prophets. Then the people fell prostrate and began to cry out to God. The defeated Ahab returned to the palace and told his wife Jezebel what took place. Immediately, Jezebel sent a message to Elijah swearing that she would have him killed within 24 hours.

 

This is where the story takes a crazy turn. Elijah, deathly afraid, decided to run in order to save his life. This was the same Elijah who just hours earlier had defeated 850 pagan prophets. After a day on the run, he pleads with God begging Him to take his life. Then God spoke to him saying:

 

1 Kings 19:9 NIV

“What are you doing here, Elijah?”

 

It is almost as if God were asking, did you forget? Did you forget my past faithfulness to you? Did you forget the victory I awarded you? Why are you so afraid now? What are you doing here? Then God said, get up and go back home the same way you came, I have already chosen a new King and a new prophet too.

 

In difficult situations, we must remember God’s kindness in the past and His faithfulness. If we just look to the cross of Calvary, we would see that it was He, working on our behalf in the past and He will continue working on our behalf in the present. We should never forget that God’s kindness and faithfulness in the past is our hope now as we walk towards the uncertainties and difficulties the future might bring.