The showdown on top of Mount Carmel had ended (1 Kings 18:1-46). Fire had come out of heaven, all the people had acknowledged the true God, and the false prophets had been put to death. God had been vindicated. You would have thought that Elijah had been growing in spiritual strength as the day went on, but suddenly he heard something that terrified him so much that he wanted to die.
Image © Lars Justinen at Goodsalt.com
Read the rest of the story in 1 Kings 19:1-9. The last words in the verses are worrisome: “And the word of the LORD came to him: ’What are you doing here, Elijah?’” (1 Kings 19:9, NIV). Evidently, Elijah’s fear caused him to run and find himself in the wrong place.
After such a powerful intervention by the Lord on Mount Carmel, Elijah should have been full of faith and trust; instead, he runs in fear for his life. What lesson can we learn from this bad example?
This story illustrates something important: when we rush, we can very easily find ourselves in the wrong place. In Elijah’s case, it was his fear that caused him to be overwhelmed and rush into the desert, wishing that he had never been born. But there are other things that cause us to rush outside of God’s plan for us.
Read the following verses. Genesis 16:1-3; Numbers 20:10-12; Judges 14:1-3; Matthew 20:20-21; Luke 9:52-56; Acts 9:1. What things caused the characters depicted here to rush outside of God’s will?
How easy to let such things as ambition, anger, passion, lack of faith, or a supposed “zeal” for the Lord cause us to rush ahead to where we shouldn’t be. No one is immune to this danger. The key is to cultivate a trusting faith in the goodness and mercy of God, who we know loves us and wants what’s best for us. This doesn’t happen automatically. Faith might be a gift, but it’s a gift that needs to be cultivated, nurtured, and jealously guarded.
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