"Elijah (Part 2)"

Victory Can Be Yours!

Article #64 – “Elijah (Part 2”)

               Last week we left Elijah in hiding after praying before King Ahab that it would not rain for 42 months.  Elijah went and hid himself where God had told him and he was provided for by the same one who provides for us, our God in heaven.  You know that it would not take long for things to get pretty desperate after no rain for a few months.  As you would expect, the brook dried up and King Ahab had everyone looking for Elijah.  However, God had other plans for Elijah and used him during this time to minister to a widow and her son where he performed miracles in the name of God.  Through God he assured the widow would not run out of provisions until the drought was ended.  He, also, brought her son back to life after he suddenly became ill and died.  When her son was returned to her alive, she said, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.” (1 Kings 17:24b)  God always uses people to carry out His plan.  Today, I do not believe that God uses us with the kind of miracles that were used in those times.  However, He uses us in ways that are extra-ordinary or supernatural for us to show His greatness.  His use of us is not to bring honor and glory to us but to Him.  All through the ages, God has shown his attributes through the acts of people like Abraham, Noah, Moses, and many others like them.  He did this to show who God really is to the rest of the world who does not acknowledge Him as the one and only true and living God.  He still uses people with a nature like Elijah to show Himself through us.

God would not have him go to Ahab until three and a half years had passed and the time of drought had done what God wanted.  When the time was ready, He told Elijah, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the face of the earth.” (1Kings 18:1b)  The drought was very severe and Ahab sent Obadiah to search for water and green grass for the animals.  While searching, he met up with Elijah and told Obadiah to go to his master and set a meeting between them.   

 “When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, ‘Is this you, you troubler of Israel?’  He said, ‘I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, because you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and you have followed the Baals’” (1Kings 18:17,18) Elijah then asked for Ahab to call together 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the Asherah who ate at the table of Ahab’s wife Jezebel.  Elijah then challenged the false prophets to bring fire from heaven to devour their sacrifice.  They were obviously unable to accomplish the task showing that their gods were false gods.  Elijah then called together all of the people to come close as he built the alter and placed his sacrifice there and prayed, ”O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word.  Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their heart back again.” (1 Kings 18:36b, 37)  God is ready to show the people who their God really is.

You, too, can have victory in Jesus!  More of Elijah next article.

Lowell Parrish