Elijah, a prophet of God whose name means "my God is the Lord," is one of the most interesting people in the Scripture. He came form Tishbeh in Gilead, but nothing is known of his family or birth.
God used Elijah during an important time in Israel's history to oppose Ahab, a wicked king, and bring revival to the land.
Elijah's life was filled with turmoil. At times he was bold and decisive, and at other times fearful and tentative. He alternately demonstrates victory and defeat, followed by recovery. Elijah knew both the power of God and the depths of depression.
Elijah suddenly appears to challenge Ahab, an evil king who ruled the Northern Kingdom.
Elijah prophesies a drought to come upon the whole land as consequence for Ahab's evil.
Elijah, warned by God, hides near the brook of Cherith where he is fed by ravens. As the drought and famine in the land deepen,
Elijah meets with a widow in a neighboring country as the drought and famine in the land deepen and, through her obedience to Elijah's request, God provides food enough for Elijah, the woman, and her son. Miraculously, the widow's barrel of flour and jar of oil never run out.
If we walk in Fellowship with the Lord and Obey Him, we will be open to His Will. And when we are in God's Will, He fulfills all of our needs, and His Mercy to us never runs short.
Elijah is presented as the central character in a face-off with the prophets of the false god Baal on Mount Carmel. The prophets of Baal call upon their god all day long to rain fire from heaven to no avail.
Elijah builds an altar of stones, dig a ditch around it, puts the sacrifice on top of the wood and calls for water to be poured over his sacrifice 3 times. He calls upon God, and God sends fire down from heaven, burns the sacrifice, the wood, and the stones and licks up the water in the ditch.
God proved He was more powerful than false gods.
Elijah is an illustration that it is not the vessel but God in the vessel that demonstrates Power. He killed all of the false prophets of Baal. After the great victory, rain once again falls on the land.
Elijah enters a period of wavering faith in spite of victory and provisions from the Lord. Elijah feels sorry for himself, hides in a cave, and even comes to believe that he alone was left of the prophets of God. He got his eyes off of God and the emotional wave started to increase its power over him.
Elijah, then, is instructed by God, to go and stand on the mountain as the Lord passed by. There is a great wind, and earthquake, and then fire, but God is not in any of those. Then comes a still, small voice in which Elijah hears God and understand Him. When Elijah stopped focusing on the fear of what men could do and his feelings of being alone, God's voice was heard, and Elijah went on to be taken up to heaven in a whirlwind.
When we focus on the noise and tumult of life in this World, we get our eyes off of the Lord. However, if we listen for His still, small voice and walk in obedience to His Word, we find victory and reward.
Each person in the Scripture has a lesson for us to learn and aid our walk as believers.
Elijah struggled with typical human emotions, yet he was used mightily by God.
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