I Kings 19:18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

God is speaking to Elijah and has just given Elijah a new direction for his life. Before God started speaking to Elijah, Elijah for the second time reminded God that he was the only one who had remained faithful to HIM. Even though God did not have any obligation to inform Elijah of all the others who had remained true to HIM, God chose to do so.

Things are not as we always think that they are. We are human and it is very easy for us to be focusing upon the wrong things. Elijah was a great man of God, and for some reason, he concluded that he was the only one who had remained faithful to God. Elijah was not omnipotent, he was not omnipresent and as such, he did not know what all the Lord was doing.

Just because you think something is true, it does not mean that it is true. Just because you have an impression of what you think God is doing, it does not mean that you are correct. Remember, Elijah was a great man of God, but he had a wrong impression. If Elijah could be wrong about the fact that he was not the only one who was faithful to God, what makes you think you cannot make a mistake about what God is doing in your life?

There may be some things that happen in our life that God never lets us know what is going on in the background. In Elijah’s case, God was helping Elijah by opening his eyes to reveal to him what was going on around him. Just because God does not give us explanations of what is going on, it does not mean that our interpretation is correct.

While Jesus was on this earth, his disciples were asking Jesus to interpret the parables. Most of the people who had heard the parables were not given the interpretation of the parable. However, because the disciples were faithful and asked, Christ opened their eyes to the deeper things of God.

Those who spend the time drawing closer to God will be rewarded with a deeper understanding of the ways of God. If you desire to have more answers, you must first spend the time developing your relationship with God. God will rarely show the deep truths of HIS ways to those who take the time to hear the voice of God. If you are not willing to hear the voice of God, why should you expect an explanation as to what God is trying to do?

Your ways are not always the ways of God. If you have a question about what God is doing in your life, rather than assume you know what God is doing, you should stop and draw closer to God and allow God to reveal to you the truths of what HE is doing.

God desires to have a closer relationship with you. You do not have to go around ignorant of the ways of God. You do not have to assume how your circumstances fit in with the perfect will of God. However, if you do not take the time to hear the still small voice of God, you will be the one who is ignorant.

Hearing the voice of God will save you many headaches. Hearing the voice of God will give you direction when all else seems lost. Hearing the voice of God will enable you to make wiser decisions. However, to hear the voice of God, you must first be patient and set your heart to putting the things of God first in your life.

I Kings 19:15 And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria:

Elijah was discouraged, he felt he had no purpose in his life. Elijah’s purpose had been centered around the drought. For three plus years, Elijah was living one day at a time. On the last day of the drought, Elijah was used by God to demonstrate to the nation of Israel just how powerful God was. God used Elijah to bring fire down from heaven and to pray for the drought to end. However, now that the drought was over, Elijah did not know what to do next. Elijah asked the Lord to take his life.

The Lord loved Elijah and the Lord told him to take a long journey. The Lord gave Elijah the strength to make this long trip without food or water. Now that Elijah was at the location that God desired him to be at, Elijah had to wait to hear the voice of the Lord. Because Elijah was patient to seek the Lord and to follow HIS direction, Elijah heard the voice of the Lord and received direction for his life.

Elijah was given three things that he needed to do. The first thing he was told was to anoint Hazael to be king over Syria, the second thing he was told was to anoint Jehu as king over Israel, and to Elisha to be the next prophet.

Solomon taught us that were there is no vision the people perish. Elijah did not know what to do next and he had lost his purpose to live. Once Elijah received a new vision for his life, Elijah was no longer asking God to take his life.

We all need a purpose in our life. A sailboat in the middle of the sea with no direction is not going to be very productive. If you aim to go nowhere, you will reach your destination. Things do not happen by accident. It is important for you as a believer to have a purpose for what you are doing. If you understand what God is doing in your life, you are able to keep your focus upon HIS perfect plan for your life. However, if you have not taken the time to understand what God desires you to do, you will have no vision and you will have no purpose in life.

If you desire to be all that you can be for the cause of Christ, you must first take the time to receive a vision. If you do not have a vision from God, then you will not understand why God is allowing you to face certain trials. While you may not understand everything that God is doing, by understanding God’s purpose in your life, it can usually go a long ways to giving you peace about the trials that you are facing.

Joseph was given a vision of being a great leader. Joseph then was sold as a slave and later found himself a prisoner. Joseph was faithful to rise to a position of leadership in both the house of Potiphar and prisoner. Why was it that Joseph was able to rise to a position of leadership in a location where most people would have been discouraged by such difficult trials? Joseph had a vision and he simply trusted God that HE knew what was best for him.

If you have no vision, you must spend the time to obtain a vision. If you have finished your vision as Elijah had done, then cry out to God for a new direction. Do not give up until God has given you the direction that you need. Be patient with God and trust that HE knows what is best for your life. If things are not going according to your plan, do not allow discouragement to control your life, instead, focus upon God and watch as HE directs your path.

I Kings 19:13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

God had called Elijah to the mountain and the Lord first brought a wind, then an earthquake, and finally a fire, but Elijah did not see the Lord in any of these things. God then spoke to Elijah in a still small voice and the power of God was so strong that Elijah had to wrap his face to be in the presence of God.

The glory of God is so powerful that even though HE appeared in something so small, Elijah had to cover his face. We would naturally understand someone covering their face if God is speaking in something big, however, we do not naturally think of the need to humble ourselves before God when we hear HIS still small voice.

How many times have we heard the still small voice of God? Maybe we were reading the Bible and we heard God give us the direction that we needed. Maybe we were praying as we drove to work and God gave us the peace that passeth all understanding about a decision that we needed to make.

Too many of us do not appreciate the power of God. Too many of us do not hear God and immediately tremble at the concept that the God who created the entire universe is talking to us and directing us in the way that we are to go. We need to have more respect for the power of God. In this passage we see how Elijah responded when he heard the voice of the Lord. We remember the story of how God commanded Moses to take off his shoes because he was in the presence of God.

God is not our personal genie that does what we want when we want. The fact that God makes his presence known unto us and desires to speak into our life should cause us to tremble. We should not take the presence of the Lord for granted.

The world does not understand the voice of the Lord. They hear stories of Christians claiming that they heard God and that HE directed their path and it makes no logical sense to them. The world should not be your standard and you should not dictate your life based upon the logic of the world. Your focus needs to be upon God and giving HIM the glory that is due HIS name. Just because the world does not understand what you are doing, it does not mean that you should not humble yourself before God.

Elijah is an excellent example to us about just how powerful God is and how we should fear HIM who has the power over all the powers of the world. God created a storm, an earthquake and a fire and it was not too hard for HIM. God could bring fire from heaven or withhold rain for years. This God who has so much power deserves our reverence.

Elijah understood he was here on this mountain to hear from God. Elijah was not in a hurry to hear God where God was not at. Elijah waited through the storm, the earthquake, and the fire until God actually made his presence known. We need to be patient like Elijah and make sure that we take the time to hear the voice of the Lord. When we hear God, we must give God the respect that HE deserves. We must honor God and not take HIM for granted. HE is the great I Am and HE deserves all our praise.

I Kings 19:9 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?

Elijah was directed by God to take this 40 day journey on no food and no water. When Elijah finally reaches the destination that the Lord sent him to, the Lord asks Elijah what he was doing here. This sounds like a strange question, one which most of us would answer, “I am doing what you told me to do.”

Elijah however responds by telling God about all the good things that he has done for the Lord and how he is the only person who is serving God. Elijah is just another human being who like us is quick to paint himself in the best light possible. Elijah had the attention of God and Elijah chose to remind God of all his good deeds as if this would gain him some special attention.

Why did God ask Elijah what he was doing? This seems like a crazy question for God to be asking. However, God never asks a question that HE does not know the answer to. Just because Elijah was obeying God, it does not mean he was doing so for the right reasons. Elijah had a higher view of himself then he ought. Elijah believed he was the only person who was faithful towards God.

It does not matter how spiritual we are, Satan can always get us to become proud of our humility. It does not matter how many prayers that we have seen God answer, Satan can cause us to believe that it is by our works that things are happening. It does not matter how many temptations we have overcome, we are human and Satan knows how to take our weakness and use it to tarnish our testimony.

If we come before God with sin in our heart, God will know. We cannot expect to come before God and fool HIM into believing that we are more spiritual then we are. If we have a wrong attitude, we should expect God to first purge that wrong attitude before we receive HIS full blessing that HE has in store for us.

When God spoke with Cain, he asked Cain where his brother was. Cain had a guilty heart but he thought he could lie to God. God did not allow Cain to avoid the question and eventually Cain knew that he was a condemned man.

When we speak with God and we hear HIM questioning our attitudes, this is not the time to try to justify our spiritual walk, this is the time that we humble ourselves and remember just how unworthy we are. God does not ask idle questions. God desires to probe our hearts and remove anything that is hindering a closer walk with the Lord.

The purging process is never easy and is never something that anyone wants to go through. However, just as grape vines need to be pruned so that they can bear abundant fruit, so also, our lives need to be pruned of any wickedness so that God can be glorified.

Do not attempt to justify your life before God. Instead, wait patiently and humble yourself before HIM. Submit to God and watch as HE removes those things that hamper your relationship with HIM. If God took the time to work with Elijah to remove areas of weakness he had, what makes you think that you are so spiritual that God has nothing that that HE desires you to change. We all have weaknesses and it is time that we allow God to remove them from our lives.

I Kings 19:8 And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.

Elijah had seen the Lord provide for his daily needs for so long that he was use to the Lord’s provision. Now God put him on a 40 day journey where he had nothing to eat or drink. While it is possible for the human body to go without food for forty days, to go without water is not possible. However, the same God that made the body to need water is the same God who enabled Elijah to take this journey only relying upon the strength of the Lord.

Elijah may have been used to being feed by ravens and watching there be just enough flour each day for bread to be made, but now he had a new challenge. How would you handle 40 days without food or water? If God cared enough for Elijah to assist him in going forty days without water, HE certainly can take care of your impossible situation.

Elijah was a great man of God not because he was able to sit around all day watching the Lord do great things in his life, Elijah was a great man of God because he heard God and he simply obeyed. It was Elijah’s willingness to listen and obey that enabled him to go and do great things for God.

How many times have we missed out on the great things God had in store for us because we were too busy with our life that we failed to take time to put God first? How many times have we missed out on God’s special blessings for us because we simply did not want to understand what God’s best for our life was?

Elijah understood that the power he possessed came from God. Because Elijah was more concerned with doing what God wanted him to do then what would be popular in the eyes of the king, Elijah was able to do stuff that most of us never would have dreamed of.

God will never leave you nor forsake you. Ruth remained faithful to God even though her husband died and she found herself living in a foreign country. Although most people would have argued that Ruth was in a terrible situation, God provided for her. God directed Ruth even though she did not know what she was looking for. God brought her a husband even though she was not expecting to find one.

Regardless of the difficult situations that you face, God is in control. When you take the time to put HIM first in your life, you will soon discovery that you can do all things through Christ which strengthens you. By taking the time to ensure that you are living in the strength of the Lord, the most impossible situations can be resolved.

God loves you and even though there are times where you life seems to be in an impossible situation, you need to understand that God is watching over you and HE is willing to provide, protect, and direct. The main question is, will you hear and obey.

When things are not going according to your plan, this is a time that you must slow down and be patient and learn to hear HIS voice. If you do not hear HIS voice right away, be patient and wait on HIM until HE speaks. How can you follow the path that the Lord has for you unless you first take the time to understand what HIS perfect path for your life is? There is much to learn about the ways of God; are you ready for an incredible journey?

I Kings 19:6 And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baked on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink and laid him down again.

Elijah is running for his life and after asking the Lord to just take his life, he fell asleep under a juniper tree. An angel came and woke him up and gave him a meal. After eating this first meal, Elijah simply went back to sleep. The angel came again, gave him a second meal and informed him that he was about to make a trip that he could not do in his own strength. Elijah was able to go 40 days without eating while he went where the Lord desired him to go.

Elijah had experienced the Lord’s provision in the past. Elijah had seen the Lord bring food by ravens. Elijah and seen a widow never run out of the ingredients that she needed to make bread. As such, it really did not seem to surprise Elijah when an angel wakes him up and has a meal prepared for him. In fact, Elijah was so use to the Lord providing for him that Elijah did not make any attempts to see why the Lord was providing for him and instead he went back to sleep.

As you mature, you will have seen the Lord provide for you in many ways. Your faith in God will grow to such a point that when the Lord does the same thing for you again, you may forget to thank God for HIS provision. The first time God brought food by a raven, you would be very thankful. However, after 180 days of this same miracle, you are going to start taking the ravens for granted.

We needed to be careful that we do not become jaded by the miracles of God around us. If God is taking you through a tough financial time where HE is just meeting your financial needs, thank HIM. Do not forget to thank HIM for the good things that HE is doing for you.

Maybe you are in a situation where God is constantly directing you every step of the way. You hear God tell you to do something and you do it and you find yourself being blessed by God. The more times God tells you what to do, the more routine it will be in your life to hear the voice of God. Soon, if you are not careful, you will not appreciate the voice of the Lord speaking to you.

The Lord desires to direct, protect, and provide for you. The Lord desires to build your faith and to cause you to focus upon HIM. Do not lose focus by allowing Satan to convince you that because you have seen God do something before, you do not have to be grateful to God for what HE is doing.

In the same way that a High School student would not think twice about doing his first grade homework, so also, there will come a time when you spiritual mature to the point where the trials and tests that God gave you in the past just do not seem all that difficult. It is at this time that you should thank the Lord for what HE has done in your life.

God is watching you and HE desires that you can be all that you can be. If you desire to be a man or woman of great faith, this means that you must start one step at a time. Be patient with God because there will come a day when you look back and you will be surprised that you had so much concern about such a small trial. Just as young child must be patient to grow up and have more responsibilities, so you must also be patient to wait until you reach the point in your life where the trials that you are now facing seem so routine. Never take for granted the test that God has before you today. God has a reason for everything that is happening to you and you need to be diligent to discover why God is doing what HE is doing today.

I Kings 19:4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

Elijah had just killed 400 prophets of Baal after God answered his prayers to bring fire down from heaven. Elijah then requested that God restore the rain to the nation of Israel. Once Jezebel had heard what Elijah had done to her prophets, she ordered that Elijah be killed. Elijah then ran for his life.

Scripture is not clear whether Elijah was requesting God to take his life because he was discouraged over Jezebel’s response, or if he asked God to take his life because he had run and not trusted in the Lord to protect him and he now realized that he was just like any man. Whatever the reason is, what we do know is that Elijah had just seen a huge victory and now he was so discouraged, he just wanted to be done with his life.

There is an important message for all of us in this story of Elijah. If we are not careful, we can give Satan a victory right after we have won a huge victory for the Lord. Elijah had done so much for God, but he had let his guard down, and now Satan was about to take a victory from Elijah by causing him to be discouraged over the turn of events.

After Jesus had fasted for 40 days, the first thing Satan tried to do was cause Jesus to sin by yielding to temptation. Temptation in and of itself is not a sin, what is a sin is yielding to the temptation. Jesus is the perfect example of ONE who overcame the wicked one. Jesus is the perfect example of ONE who used scripture to give HIM the authority not to yield.

Satan knows your weaknesses. Satan know which strings to pull that are most likely going to result in you sinning and falling short of the glory of God. Maybe your weakness is worry, maybe your weakness is sexual things, maybe your weakness is greed, or maybe your weakness is money. Whatever your weakness, Satan knows it, and he is going to try to use your weaknesses to cause you to sin.

Sometimes right after a great victory, we think we are so strong but really we are weak. Peter had been sold bold when the guards came to arrest Jesus, but he then demonstrated such a lack of faith once he was in the courtyard and a young lady asked him if he was a disciple. Satan knows how to tempt us with the right temptation at a time when we think we are strong.

Be careful that you do not yield to temptation right after you had a great spiritual experience. Satan is going to attempt to tarnish that powerful experience by causing you to sin and fall short of the glory of God. If Satan can distract your attention from giving God the glory for all that HE has done in your life, he might be able to get you to focus upon yourself and thus set yourself up for failure.

There is much that we can learn from those who have gone before us. We must with patience accept the trials that God allows to come into our lives. Do not be quick to yield to the temptations of Satan, but instead, use the word of God to overcome the devil. Do not think that just because you saw God give you a great victory that you are going to overcome the next temptation. Understand that Satan is going to try to destroy all the good that you have already completed and you must with patience endure the temptation that is before you.

I Kings 19:3 And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.

Elijah had just seen God answer his prayer by bringing fire from heaven. Elijah had just seen God bring rain from a cloud that started the size of a man’s fist. Ahab also had seen these things and had seen what the Lord had been doing. However, when Jezebel heard these things, she was more concerned about her false gods then she was about the people whom she governed.

Jezebel was not a happy woman because the rain had finally returned to the nation. Instead, Jezebel was upset that Elijah was able to kill 400 prophets of Baal. Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah informing him that she was going to take his life.

Upon hearing that Jezebel desired to kill him, Elijah ran for his life. Elijah served a God who had provided and protected him during the three plus years of drought, why he did not trust the Lord this time we do not know. Elijah had seen God do several miracles based upon his request, but why he thought he needed to run for his life, scripture is not clear.

Elijah was truly a great man. Elijah was able to raise a widow’s son back to life. Elijah was one of two who saw Jesus on the Mount of transfiguration. Elijah had done so many things that demonstrated he had a close walk with the Lord, but all of a sudden, he hears his life is in trouble, and he skips town.

Elijah most likely had heard the story about how God protected Jacob from both Laban and his brother Esau. Elijah most likely had heard the stories how God protected the nation of Israel time after time when they were attacked. Elijah most likely had heard the story of how God protected David from the hand of Saul.

It is easy to forget how big of a God we serve. Sometimes we become so focused upon our own problems, that we lose track of who God is and what HE can do for us. Satan loves to get our focus upon the things of this world. Satan loves to cause us to turn our attention upon our problems and try to solve our own problems in our own strength.

One of the biggest faith killers is our own responses to our own problems. It is easy to look at others and say that they are not living by faith. However, it is much harder to remain faithful every single day when it appears that your world is crumbling around you. When things do not go the way you think they should go, this is not the time to react, this is the time to stop and listen to the still small voice of God. The worst thing that you can do is to react to your problems because our natural tendencies are not very often God’s best for our life.

When Eve heard that the fruit would be good for her and she saw that it was pleasant to the eye, Eve decided to react and follow her own impulses. That fruit was not going to go anywhere, it still was going to be there the next day. Eve could have waited and talked with God about her desire to eat of the fruit that God had instructed her not to eat.

Patience is a quality that we all need to exercise. Rather than reacting to our problems, we need to stop and allow God to direct our steps. How many blessings of God do we miss out upon when we immediately react and we do not take the time to see what God has for us. Elijah may have missed out on another miracle as God protected him, but instead, he ran.

I Kings 18:43 And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.

Elijah has just seen God answer his prayer by bringing fire down from heaven to consume a sacrifice that had been totally drenched with water. Now it was time that God answered Elijah’s prayer by bringing rain to the nation once again. Elijah went up into the mountain to pray for the rain that he knew God desired to bring.

When was the last time you prayed earnestly that God’s will would be done in your life? Elijah understood the will of God regarding the drought and he understood that God was going to cause it to rain. Elijah was not going to give up praying for rain until he saw the rain coming. Elijah sent his servant up the mountain seven times to look towards the sea to see if any clouds were coming. We do not know how long it took for the servant to make this round trip or how long Elijah was praying, but what we do know is that Elijah was willing to be persistent in his prayers.

James tells us that if we ask according to HIS will, we know that we have the petition that we ask for. This is what Elijah was doing. Elijah knew the will of God and he continued to pray until he receives it. If God has shown you something that HE desires to do in your life, one of the easiest prayers that you can make is Lord, thy will be done.

It is not difficult to pray, Lord, do as thou hast said. However, while it is not a difficult prayer, sometimes it may be a prayer that you need to pray for a long time. Remember that Joseph understood that he was to be a leader. Joseph could have prayed, Lord, make me the leader you promised me that I would be. But how many times would he have prayed that prayer between when he received the vision and God brought it to pass. If Joseph prayed 2 – 3 times a day that God would fulfill HIS perfect will in his life, Joseph would have prayed over 10,000 times before God finally made him a leader.

Are you willing to do whatever it takes spiritually to see the fulfillment of God’s perfect will? Are you willing to pray without ceasing? Are you willing to abstain from food so that God’s will may be done in you? Are you willing to put aside the cares of this world so that you have the strength to see the things of God through to a completion?

Most of us do not want to live to the higher standards that are required of those who understand the will of God for their lives. While we say we want God’s best, we are not willing to spend the time reading the word of God and praying so that we understand what God desires us to do. Instead, we feel more comfortable watching from the sidelines.

It takes great patience to wait for the perfect timing of God. Just because God has shown you his will, it does not mean that he will bring it to pass immediately. One part of the Lord’s Prayer is that we are to pray that God’s will be done. This means, that every time we pray, we should be praying that God’s will be done in our lives. If we do not know what God’s will is for our life, we should be asking HIM what it is so we know what to pray for.

Just because God does not seem to be answering your prayers, it does not mean that you should stop praying. Just as Elijah kept sending his servant to go look for a cloud, so also, we need to be persistent to see if God is going to bring to us the fulfillment of HIS will. It is not enough to simply pray once, but you must be patient and continue to pray until the Lord brings it to pass.

I Kings 18:30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.

The Lord had come to Elijah that the time had come for God to bring rain back to the nation of Israel. However, Elijah understood that if all he did was show up and say it would rain the next day, there would be those who would not believe that God was behind this famine and that Elijah simply had some inside knowledge of the weather patterns.

Even though scripture does not tell us that God told Elijah to test him to prove to the nation of Israel the power of the Lord, Elijah did just that. Elijah understood that if this three plus years of famine was going to draw the nation of Israel back to the Lord, they first needed to see the power of God. Elijah exercised some patience in not rushing in and proclaiming the word of the Lord but he first set the stage so that the nation of Israel was ready to hear the word of the Lord.

Elijah proposed a test that the God who answered by fire was to be the God of Israel. Elijah could have gone first or could have gone at the same time as the prophets of Baal. However, Elijah was patient and he allowed the prophets of Baal to go first. Elijah wanted to make sure the people understood just how little power the prophets of Baal really had. Had Elijah gone first or at the same time, people would have said that the prophets of Baal just needed a little more time.

Because Elijah desired that God would be magnified this day, Elijah ensured that when fire came down from heaven, that no one could say that it was a trick. God was going to receive the glory. Elijah understood that for God to receive the glory, the miracle had to be something that no one had ever heard of before. Furthermore, Elijah took water and covered the altar so that there was no way a fire would be able to start.

When Elijah prayed, God answered his prayer. God did not answer the prayer of Elijah because he was a humble little man who had a special prayer life. God answered Elijah’s prayer because Elijah desired to be used of God to reflect the light of God to a lost world. God desired that the nation of Israel serve HIM and HE was willing to work through Elijah so that the people would return to HIM.

Are you ready to be the salt and the light? Are you willing that God demonstrate HIS power through you in such a way that HE receives the glory? Elijah did not start off with building his altar three years earlier when he declared that there would be no rain. Elijah obeyed God and proclaimed no rain and then, once everyone was discontent with their present situation, that is when he came and proposed a test so that God would receive the glory.

When you see that someone has been going through a trial that seems too big for them, stop and ask the Lord if there is something you can do to help them turn to God. Do not rush in and tell the person that God is the answer to all their problems. Instead, ask God if there is something you can do to assist them in turning their eyes to the Lord. If people are going to serve God, they need to see that HE is real in their own life.

Are you ready to test God to see HIS power work in your life? Are you ready to see God move in a way that you never thought possible? God often allows us to get to a point where we have no answers so that we are ready to fully trust HIM. God is patient with us to make sure that we are ready to hear HIS message.

1 Kings 17:21 And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come into him again.

Elijah was staying with a foreign widow during the drought. While staying with her, this widow’s son died. Elijah took the boy to his room where he started to pray that the Lord would give the son life again. Elijah stretched himself upon the child not once, not twice, but three times before the Lord answered his prayer.

God hears our prayers, but that does not mean that HE answers them according to our time table. Elijah may have been a man of prayer who could pray that it stops raining and it stops. Elijah prayed that fire come down from the sky and it immediately came. Elijah prayed that it would rain and it rained that very day. However, even though Elijah was a man of prayer, he still had to act in faith three times before God answered his prayers.

How many times have you heard a story of someone praying that a loved one would be saved and after many years, God finally gave them the desires of their heart? How many times have you heard a story of a woman who desired a child and after many years, God finally opened her womb? All around us there are stories of those who persevered in prayer and God granted the petition.

Satan loves to discourage us and cause us to give up before we see the victory. Satan loves to get us to focus upon ourselves and not upon the hope that God will one day answer our prayers. Sometimes we just need to persevere in prayer for a couple of hours and sometimes God needs us to persevere in prayer for many years.

Jesus taught us that we are to be persistent in our prayers. When we understand what God’s will is for our life, then spending the time talking to God is never a waste of our time. However, if God says no, we need to carefully consider whether we appeal to God to change HIS decision or whether we need to change our mindset so that HE is glorified through our life.

When Hezekiah was told by the Lord that he was going to die, Hezekiah asked God to extend his life. Hezekiah did not submit to the will of God just because God had told him to put his house in order. Hezekiah asked for life and God gave him 15 years. During these additional 15 year, Manasseh was born and Manasseh became the next king. However, Manasseh did not follow the ways of his father but instead did many wicked and perverse things.

Hezekiah may have been given 15 years but the nation of Israel was not any better off because Hezekiah lived these 15 years. During these 15 years, Hezekiah sinned against God and God pronounced judgment against the nation of Israel. In the same way that David’s family was blessed because they were of the lineage of David, so Hezekiah had brought a curse upon his son because of his unwise decisions.

There are very few instances where scripture shows us what the will of God was and how someone caused God to change HIS mind. Most prayers are people praying something in accordance with the will of God. Some people had to pray a long time while others had to pray a very short time. If God does not answer your prayer right away, take the time to ensure that you are asking according to HIS will for your life and if you are, then be patient with God because we know that if we ask according to HIS will, we will receive it.

1 Kings 17:9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.

Elijah was a man’s man. He had the boldness to tell king Ahab that it was not going to rain. Elijah had the boldness to pray that God would bring fire from heaven. Elijah had the boldness to kill all the prophets of Baal.

However, even though Elijah was such a man’s man, God placed Elijah in a humbling position that he had to go ask help of first a foreigner, second, a woman, and third a widow. Could it get more humbling for the great Elijah who hears from God to be begging for food from a gentile widow?

Scripture does not indicate that Elijah had any hesitation but that he simply obeyed God. Elijah probably was wondering what God was doing what this widow had done that God was sending him to obtain from her his daily provision.

God’s ways are not our ways. God sometimes puts us in very humbling situations that do not make any sense. However, if we are willing to be patient and allow God to write the last chapter, we will find a new fulfillment to our life that we could only imagine.

Elijah was willing to put himself in a difficult position while he obeyed God. Elijah did not know what God was going to do but Elijah was willing to step out in faith and watch and see what God did next. Elijah put the things of God first in his life. Elijah was not concerned with what others thought of him, Elijah was concerned about making sure HE was living in accordance with the will of God.

What steps are you willing to take for the glory of God? How far are you willing to go to humble yourself so that God can be glorified through you? Are you willing to put the things of God first in your life? Are you willing to patiently wait for God’s perfect will to occur in God’s perfect timing? It is easy to become frustrated with God when HE starts asking you to do things that seem to lower your reputation in the eyes of your fellow man. It is easy to start second guessing yourself when things do not happen when you think that they should occur.

Elijah was a great man not because he insisted on having everything done his way, but because he was willing to yield his rights to the Lord. Throughout scripture, you will see many great men and women who had to first humble themselves before God could use them. Esther had to be willing to die before she could save her people. Joseph had to be in prison before he could save his family. Ruth had to glen for food before she was able to have a husband and child. David had to run for his life before he became king. Hannah had to humble herself in prayer in the temple before God gave her the desires of her heart. Gideon had to hide from the enemy to provide for his family before God used him to destroy the enemy. The nation of Israel had to wonder in the wilderness before they became a nation that could conquer the Canaanites.

Do not be surprised if God asks you to humble yourself. Do not be surprised if God puts you in a position where you have to wait on HIS perfect timing. Instead, be a vessel in the hands of God. Do not question the power of God. Trust in HIM and HE will direct your paths. The more you fight with God, the less powerful your light will be. The ways of God are not always clear but you should always remember that God writes the last chapter.

1 Kings 17:7 And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.

Elijah the prophet had told king Ahab that it would not rain until he told the king that it would rain. Elijah was hidden by God at the brook Cherith and was fed by ravens. However, after a period of time, the brook dried up and it was time for Elijah to move on. Elijah was doing what the Lord told him to do and the Lord was providing for him. However, all of a sudden, Elijah found that the provision from the Lord had dried up.

Have you ever been in a place where you have found the provision of the Lord dry up? You knew you were doing what the Lord desired you to do, but God was not financially blessing you as you thought should be happening. Not only were you not receiving financial blessings, but maybe you found yourself in a very tight financial situation.

This is the place that Elijah was in, not only was God not making him wealthy because of his obedience, but Elijah was suffering and he had no provision. You would be wrong if you were to say that God was not blessing Elijah or providing for him. God spoke to Elijah and he directed him where he was supposed to go next. Elijah could have argued with God and demanded that God provide for him where the Lord had sent him, but Elijah understood the importance of being in the center of God’s will.

How often do we cause ourselves great damage because we fail to listen to the still small voice of God? How often do we insist that God answers our prayers our way that we fail to hear HIS voice and the way that HE has provided for us. Because we try to put God in a box, we often lose sight of God’s new direction for our life.

When Jonah was told by God to go to Nineveh, he decided that he was going to go his own way. Jonah refused to listen to God and as a result, he found himself in a great storm and then swallowed by a great fish. Jonah attempted to avoid doing God’s will for his life and the consequences to his personal life were not pleasant.

When God shuts a door, HE is faithful to prepare a new way for you. God can reopen the door HE shut, HE can create a new door where no door existed, or HE can choose to open a window. When God shuts a door, this is the time for you to patiently wait on HIM and learn to hear HIS still small voice. When God shuts a door, this is the time for you to put aside all the things that distract you from serving HIM so that you will ensure that you hear HIS new direction for your life.

It is time that you learn to let God be God. Just because you think that your life should go a certain way, that does not mean that this is God’s way. The next time that things do not seem to be going your way, stop and listen to God. Just because God’s provision seems to be stopping, it does not mean that you are out of the will of God, it might just mean it is time to move on.

God has many lessons for us to lean but we have to be listening to HIM if we desire to learn these lessons. Elijah was willing to be patient and wait on the perfect timing of God and we should follow HIS example. When things do not go your way, do not blame God but use it as an opportunity to allow God to show you the way HE desires you to go. God has promised that HE will never leave you nor forsake you, trust in that promise.

1 Kings 17:5 So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.

Elijah was a prophet of God. Elijah boldly went before wicked king Ahab and told him that it would not rain until he said that it would rain. After Elijah had proclaimed the word of the Lord, God told him to go hide by the brook Cherith and be feed by ravens.

Elijah was a Jew and God for a period of time was going to have him eat from the unclean ravens. No proper Jew would have anything to do with an unclean raven. Here Elijah was a man of God, yet God used something that was unclean to provide daily nourishment for Elijah. We all know how Peter had such a problem with the vision he had regarding eating unclean animals, but why is it that Elijah did not seem to put up any fight when it came to eating food brought to him by unclean animals?

Elijah apparently understood that God created the entire world. Elijah understood that it was God who gave him the words to speak to king Ahab and it was God who was directing him to the brook Cherith. Elijah understood that since he was being obedient to the ways of God, that it was up to God to provide and protect him. Elijah was willing to let God be God and not question him whether he used unclean or clean animals to bring him daily bread.

Elijah was probably well verse in the story of how God brought water out of a rock for Moses. Elijah probably knew the story of Joseph how God put his faithful servant Joseph in prison for many years so that he could rise to a position of leadership with the Egyptians so as to save his father and the rest of the family. Elijah probably knew the story of Samson how he was able to use the unclean jawbone of a donkey in order to kill a thousand Philistines.

Elijah was simply willing to trust God rather than question where God was going to bring him provision. Elijah understood that he was in a difficult position and that he was going to suffer just like everyone else was going to suffer from this long period of drought. Elijah needed to experience the provision of the Lord and so he focused upon God and let God do what needed to be done.

We need to understand that God is God. Sometimes God is going to do things with us that are unconventional. This means that things are not going to go according to our plans, this means that God may have us do something that we never thought possible. God had to free Peter so that Peter was able to preach to the Gentiles. Once Peter was free from the defective mindset, Peter was able to work with other Jewish Christians to help them understand that they were supposed to preach to the Gentiles.

When God tells us to do something that is contrary to our nature, we need to thank HIM for HIS direction and trust HIM for HIS provision. Elijah had to be patient during this long period of time that there would be no rain and king Ahab desired to kill him.

There is much we can learn from those who have come before us. We must learn that things do not always go according to our plan. When our plans change, be ready to listen to God and hear what HE would have you to do. Trust in the Lord and do not question the way HE is going to have you do things. Remember God is always looking for those whom HE can use to be light unto the world and to reflect HIS great power to those who need to trust in HIM.

I Kings 19:18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

Elijah had just seen God answer his prayers to bring fire from heaven. Elijah had just seen God answer his persistent prayer of brining rain back to the earth again. Elijah had just seen the power of God in his life in a very special way. However, when Elijah spoke with God, he told him that “I, even I only, am left” (1 Kings 19:10).

Elijah had just seen God use him in a mighty way and God led Elijah on a long journey. For forty days, Elijah did not eat. At the end of the forty days, God came to Elijah. God did not come to Elijah in the form of a strong wind, an earthquake, nor a fire. God came to Elijah and spoke to him in a still small voice. When Elijah heard the still small voice of God, he had to take his mantle and wrap his face. Elijah was in the presence of God. It did not matter all the good things Elijah had done for the Lord, they were not enough for him to stand in the presence of the Lord.

God spoke to Elijah that day and HE gave Elijah vision for what he was to do next. However, God did not want to just show Elijah what to do next, God used this mountaintop experience to transform Elijah’s life to take care of the issue of pride. God did not want Elijah to think that he was the only righteous person in all of Israel. After God gave Elijah the vision, God told Elijah that there were 7,000 in Israel who had kept their hearts and mind right before God.

Elijah may have been the only one who challenged Ahab and Jezebel to do what is right in the eyes of God, but he was not the only one who refused to obey their wicked laws and violate God’s perfect law. As long as Elijah thought he was the only true servant of God, pride would dwell in his heart and he would not be in a position to properly lead the nation of Israel back to God. God dealt with Elijah by transforming his mind to cause him to see the truth that he was not the only servant of God.

If you were in Israel during the time of Elijah, would you have been one of the 7,000 who had refused to bow down before Baal? There were 7,000 who refused to be conformed by the things of their world but instead insisted at being pure in the sight of God. It was more important to these 7,000 that they live their lives pleasing to God then it was that they live comfortable lives where they were accepted by their neighbors. You can imagine the pressure these 7,000 had from their neighbors because they were not obeying the king’s commands.

You have an obligation to God to live your life so that HE might be glorified. You have a duty to God to put the things of God first so that when the world pressures you to conform to it, you are able to have the boldness to live for Christ and not like the devil.

You can never be one of the 7,000 as long as you fill your life with the things of this world. If the most important things is what the world thinks, you will never be strong enough to withstand the temptations of Satan. God is looking for those who are willing to allow HIM to transform their minds and fill them with HIS virtue so that they might be a testimony to the world of HIS power. Are you going to stand up and be counted by God?

I Kings 3:9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?

Solomon was king over the nation Israel. One day he went to Gibeon and he made a thousand burnt offerings unto God. That night God appeared unto Solomon and asked him what HE should give to him. Solomon did not ask for long life, riches, or for deliverance from his enemies. Solomon asked for wisdom to judge God’s people. God was pleased with Solomon’s request. God promised Solomon that because he did not ask for himself, God was going to give him his request for wisdom and he was going to give him long life, riches and deliverance from his enemies as long as Solomon walked in the ways of God and kept his statutes.

Solomon’s father David is known for having a heart after God’s own heart. It is evident that David raised his son to desire the things of God. When Solomon had the opportunity to ask for whatever he wanted, Solomon wanted wisdom to help him fulfill his God given purpose in life. Solomon was not living his life for himself and what he could obtain from this life. Solomon was living his life to please God and to see what HE could do to fulfill God’s purpose for his life.

It is interesting to note that prior to Solomon’s request for wisdom, he was already several years into his reign. One can already see that Solomon had already great discernment. Yet nonetheless, Solomon was not content with his natural ability to do God’s purpose. Solomon understood God’s high purpose for his life and he desired to serve God in such a way that God would receive all the glory. It was because of the heart of Solomon and his desire to magnify God through his life that caused God to be pleased with his request. Solomon’s heart was right before God and as such, the desires of his heart were the desires of God’s heart.

While you may not ever see God come to you in the night to ask you whatever you desire, you do have the opportunity to come before God in prayer and to let your petitions be made known unto God. What is your request going to be? Are you going to request that God give you the things that you desire, or are you going to take the time to understand God�s purpose for your life and seek to ask for those things that you need in order to fulfill God’s will for you. Your prayer life needs to demonstrate that you have a heart after God’s own heart. You must stop being selfish but instead learn to seek the things of God. You must prepare your heart to ask for things that please God.

Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth does speak. Solomon made a thousand burnt offerings unto God. By faith, you too will start spending time with God and HIS word so that you might understand God’s purpose for your life and so that you might better understand those areas that you are lacking in order to do HIS will.

By faith you understand that you are not on this earth to do what you want when you want. Instead, God has a purpose for you and it is your obligation to God to seek those things that please God. You need to take the time to ensure that your ways are pleasing to God. You need to ensure that your heart is right with God so that when you speak to God, God sees your heart and is pleased. By faith you will live your life for God.

I Kings 19:19 So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him.

God had given Elijah the responsibility to anoint to Elisha to be the next prophet of God. Elijah did not find Elisha reading the scriptures or praying to God but instead, Elijah found Elisha in the field working. Elisha evidently came from a family of great wealth because they had twelve yoke of oxen. However, just because there was such wealth and they could support servants to be controlling the other 11 yokes of oxen, Elisha was not going to be found idle. Elisha was found out in the field working with his servants. Elisha was not afraid of work.

After Elijah placed his mantle upon Elisha, Elisha requested of Elijah before he left to follow Elijah that Elijah permit him to go say goodbye to his family. Elisha had just received his calling to become a prophet of God and Elisha had to give up his home, give up his wealth to now be available to go where the Lord desired when the Lord desired. Elisha took his yoke of oxen and sacrificed them there in the field before the Lord and did begin to minister unto Elijah.

God is looking for individuals who have demonstrated a hard work ethic and a servant’s heart. Elisha did not have to plow in the field because of his wealth. Furthermore, Elisha did not have to take the final position and be the final yoke of oxen. Elisha could have insisted because of his position that he take the led oxen which was a lot easier because you did not have to be as precise in his plowing and it was a lot cleaner because you did not have all the oxen and plows in front of you kicking up the dust. Elisha was called of God not because he knew how to pray and read, but because he had demonstrated to God in his heart that he was not a slacker and that he put others before himself.

Put yourself in Elisha’s shoes. Would you have responded so quickly to the calling of God upon your life if you had the position that Elisha had? Elisha put aside his profession and was quick to follow God’s new plan for his life. Elisha shows no hesitation in his desire to put the work of God first before his personal comfort and wealth.

You may be in a position right now as Elisha found himself in. Elisha had no calling from God so he committed his hands to what the Lord had before HIM. You know that prior to Jesus’ ministry here on earth he was a carpenter’s son. You know that during Paul’s ministry there was a time where he mended tents. You know that prior to Jesus calling Peter, he was a fisherman. There is nothing wrong with work. You are simply to be diligent in your work that is before you and be prepared to put it aside when God gives you a calling. When God calls, it is time to set your work aside and proceed immediately with the calling of God for your life.

Elisha demonstrated his faith in God by dropping all that he had to immediately follow the calling of God. If God were to call you today and request that you serve HIM in a particular ministry, would you be ready? Would you be in the position to drop everything you have and go immediately do the will of God and serve HIM by drawing others to HIM? By faith you work today and prepare your heart for God’s calling in your life.

I Kings 19:4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

Why was Elijah requesting that God kill him? He had just seen God answer his prayers by bringing fire from heaven and restoring the rain throughout the land. Elijah had seen God’s hand upon him for the last several years as God had supplied all his needs. Nonetheless, even though Elijah had seen God’s hand upon his life, Elijah was on the run because Jezebel desired to kill him because of what he had done to the prophets of Baal.

In response to Elijah’s prayer, God supplied Elijah with two meals and then had Elijah take a journey of 40 days in which Elijah did not eat. Elijah’s destination was Horeb, the mount of God. Once Elijah reached Horeb, he told God that he was alone. Elijah felt that there was no one else out there who was serving God and he was discouraged because even though he had shown the nation that God was with him, his life was in jeopardy.

Solomon told us where there is no vision the people perish. Elijah had no vision for his life. He had just fulfilled God’s purpose that had consumed his life for many years and now he was discouraged because he not only had any purpose but he was not receiving the praises of man for fulfilling his prior purpose.

Elijah may have been a great prophet for God but he still was human. You enjoy hearing the praises of those around you when you do things right. So too did Elijah expect and need to hear the praises of his fellow man after he had great faith and prayed fire from heaven, the return of rain, and had out ran the chariots. All Elijah received was a death threat and he was on the run.

God came to Elijah through a still small voice. Elijah felt he was alone and God informed Elijah that there were seven thousand who had not bowed down to Baal. Elijah felt he was without a purpose and God told him to anoint Hazael to be king over Syria, Jehu to be king over Israel and Elisha to be a prophet of God.

You must be aware that Satan loves to attack you immediately after you have a great victory for the Lord. Like he did with Elijah, he will try to discourage you from your faith immediately after you have seen a victory from the Lord. After a victory is not the time to sit back and not be prepared for the attacks of your spiritual enemy. There are going to be days in your life where you are discouraged. Nonetheless, it does not mean that God has forsaken you. You can learn from Elijah how not to respond when you face discouraging times. Remember, God will never forsake you nor leave you.

God provided and sustained Elijah so that he was in a position that he could once again hear God. God has not forsaken you, God desires to bring you to the point where you are seeking HIM and desire to do HIS will. It is not the end of the world when you reach a spot where you are spiritually discouraged because you feel you have a lack of direction. Instead, just remember the life of Elijah and remember that God loves you and HE desires to show HIMSELF strong through your life. Trust in HIM. You are never alone no matter how lonely you fell. God is with you and desires for you to hear HIS voice.

I Kings 18:46 And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

Rain had finally returned to the land and Ahab was heading to Jezreel. Jezreel was approximately 16 miles from Mount Carmel. Ahab had just seen firsthand the hand of the Lord answer Elijah’s prayers by brining fire out of the heavens. Ahab had watched Elijah kill the prophets of Baal. While Elijah told Ahab to eat, Elijah went up on the mount to pray for the rain to come. Once there was an indication of rain, Elijah sent his servant and told Ahab to make haste to Jezreel.

Ahab may have had a chariot to enable him to return home but Elijah had the Lord’s strength. Even though Ahab presumably was driving his chariots as fast as he could in order to avoid being stopped by the rain, Elijah still was able to out run the horses.

God had told the Israel in Deuteronomy 17 that when they had a king, the king was not to multiply for himself horses. God did not have a problem with horses, HE created them. The problem with horses is that it was a symbol of military advantage. The more horses you had the greater your army. God did not desire the kings of Israel to be concerned with their military strength. God desired to fight the battles of Israel and God desired to show HIMSELF strong in the life of the kings as they learned to humble themselves.

Ahab may have had the ability to quickly return to Jezreel. However, God desired to demonstrate to Ahab once again that Ahab needed to learn to humble himself and put the Lord first in all that he did. God enabled Elijah to run as Elijah had never run before. For approximately 16 miles, God enabled Elijah to run faster then a group of horses pulling a chariot. The chariot was not going slow because scripture is clear that God was upon Elijah enabling him to run.

Ahab was entangled with the things of the world and as such, he watched Elijah who sought to do the things of God have a superior advantage when it came to heading for shelter. Ahab should have beat Elijah and everyone else to the city, but God desired to show Ahab that it is important for a king to humble himself and to put all his strength in the Lord. Elijah did not ask the Lord to give him more strength, Elijah just ran and the Lord gave him the ability to run. Elijah watched as the Lord used his life in a supernatural way to demonstrate to a king that it is God who the nation was to trust.

You have placed your trust in the Lord, but do you see the Lord working through your life supernaturally in such a way that HE receives the glory. Just as God used Elijah to illustrate a point with Ahab, so too, God desires to use your life to demonstrate to the world what God can do with one who dedicates their life to the Lord.

Do not be caught up with the things of this world. Instead, allow God to control your life. There may be times when it appears your world is about to crash in around you but it is God who will give you the strength to escape if you will but put all your trust in HIM. By faith you must learn to put God first in your life. It is by your faith that God will be able to use you and you will see how God is able to show the world HIS power. By living by faith, God can do things through you that you never imagined.

I Kings 18:44 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.

Elijah had just killed all the prophets of Baal that were present when God answered by fire. Elijah then told Ahab it was going to rain and that Ahab should eat and drink. However, while Ahab was eating and drinking, Elijah went up to the top of Carmel and cast himself down upon the ground with his face between his knees and began to cry out to God. Seven times Elijah sent his servant to look towards the sea to see if the rain was coming. Six times the servant returned and said that no cloud was in the horizon. Finally the seventh time there was such a small cloud that you would probably doubt was the answer to Elijah’s prayer.

God had told Elijah that HE was going to bring rain. Elijah understood the will of God, yet Elijah still fell on his face before God and fervently prayed that God would cause it to rain on the land once again. Why should Elijah care if it rains or not, he has seen the Lord provide for his daily needs for the last three and a half years? Surely God can continue to cause it to rain. God will cause it to rain when God desires it to rain. Surely Elijah did not need to forsake food and the fellowship of his fellow Israelites in order to go pray for something that God had already promised. Elijah had not exactly been enjoying king’s food during this drought and he could have probably enjoyed dinner with Ahab that day. Nonetheless, Elijah still went and prayed and asked the Lord to do as HE had said.

Elijah was praying for something the Lord had promised him – rain. Elijah did not need to pray in order for God to bring rain, but Elijah still prayed to God. However, just because God was fulfilling HIS own promise to bring rain, God did not grant Elijah his request the first time. Think about it, Elijah was asking for something that God had promised and the answer did not come the first time he prayed. In fact, the seventh time, the answer came in the form of a small cloud and upon hearing that, Elijah stopped praying and told his servant to tell Ahab head for home because the rain is coming. Elijah had faith that God was going to use that one cloud that was not very big to bring great rain.

Just because God has promised you something it does not mean that you can take it for granted that God is going to give it to you when you want it. Just because God has promised you something, it does not mean that you do not have to go before the Lord in prayer to ask HIM for it. God desires that you learn to draw closer to HIM and as such, HE will not always give you what you want, when you want because HE desires that you learn to be persistent in prayer. God desires that you learn to pray and exercise your faith in HIM. Learn to rely upon HIM even when you are asking for things HE has promised.

Your faith in God needs to grow. You need to learn to demonstrate your faith to lost world. If you really desire to see your faith grow, start spending your time in prayer asking for those things that God has already promised you. Do not spend your time with unnecessary pleasures, instead, spend your time seeking the Lord and drawing closer to HIM. Learn to hear the voice of God and to hear what HE has for you. Then it makes your prayer life so easy if all you have to do is pray for those things that God has already promised. Be ready to give HIM the glory when HE answers your prayers.

I Kings 18:38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

Elijah proposed a challenge with the prophets of Baal to see who could answer by fire, the Lord, or Baal. Elijah allowed the 450 prophets of Baal to go first and he allowed them to have all day to for their god to answer by fire. Elijah did not go at the same time because he did not want anyone to say that Baal would have answered if they had given Baal more time.

When it came time to show God’s power, Elijah did not simply just lay the calf upon the altar and pray. Elijah desired to demonstrate to those present that God was the only God and worthy of their service. Elijah built a trench around his altar and had 12 barrels of water poured upon the sacrifice. Remember that it had been three and a half years since it had rained. Remember they were on Mount Carmel. There was not a huge supply of water in the land and for Elijah to use 12 barrels of water probably had many people murmuring about what Elijah was doing.

Elijah had faith in God that God was going to prove HIMSELF faithful and true and that HE was going to answer by fire. There is no indication that God had ever consumed a sacrifice before by bringing fire from heaven, but Elijah was willing to put God to the test and to see the Lord demonstrate HIS power to an unbelieving nation. Elijah did not have to pray all night as the prophets had prayed and danced all day. Elijah simply prayed and asked God to hear so that the people might believe and God immediately answered.

God was willing and able to answers Elijah’s faith. To God, nothing is impossible and nothing is too small. Elijah was creative in finding a way that God could demonstrate HIS power to the people. Elijah believed God was able to do the impossible and God honored Elijah’s faith by performing the miracle that could not be doubted.

There is very little difference between you and Elijah. You are both serving God in a land that is full of wickedness. The main difference between Elijah and you is that Elijah was willing to do something about the wickedness of the land and to draw the nations attention back to the living God. Elijah had seen God’s faithfulness in his life and was willing to try God and allow God to prove HIS faithfulness to an entire nation.

America like the nation of Israel could look back and point to several different examples were God intervened on behalf of the country. However, because of unbelief, these miracles are not as prevalent as they were many years ago. God is willing to show HIMSELF strong just as HE was many years ago through the life of Elijah. God is simply looking for the individual that HE will use. HE is looking for a servant who is willing to put God first and to ensure that God is glorified through their actions.

Are you the one that God is looking for? Are you the one that God desires to use to draw many to HIS power and HIS grace? Are you the one who God longs to use as an example of great faith? God may be looking for you but the question is whether you are listening and looking for opportunities for your actions to bring glory to your Creator. Put God first in your life. Understand that it is not you but HE that is in you that must be glorified.

I Kings 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

Elijah called the nation of Israel to confront them about their worshiping of Baal. The nation of Israel had heard of God’s power in the past, but instead they were willing to follow their wicked rulers in the worship of Baal. Ahab had tried to accuse Elijah for being the reason for the lack of rain in Israel but Elijah confronted Ahab and informed him that it was because of his worship of Baal that God stopped the rain. It was time to show Ahab and the nation of Israel the power of God.

Scripture gives us no indication that God told Elijah to have this battle to demonstrate to the people who the one true God was. All we know is that God told Elijah to show himself to Ahab and that it would rain. It thus appears that Elijah understood the power of God and while he could have just told Ahab the good news, Elijah first wanted to ensure that all Israel understood the power of God. Elijah told Ahab to bring the people and the prophets. Once everyone had showed up to mount Carmel Elijah threw down the challenge. The challenge was simple – the people should serve the one true God.

Elijah had seen the power of God in his life through daily provision, protection and direction. Elijah understood that the people now needed to see the power of God. Elijah declared the rules to the test and the people who were naturally followers were willing to listen. From the people’s perspective, what did they have to lose, all they had to do was sit down and see whether God or Baal answered by fire. Whichever one answered the challenge, then that was the one they should serve.

Even though God did not give this great idea of a battle on Mount Carmel, God did bless the faith of Elijah by answering his prayers. God desires to show HIMSELF strong, and Elijah had created an opportunity by which there was no way Elijah was going to receive any of the glory. Elijah had the faith in God to challenge the false gods of his day. Elijah desired to see the people worshiping the one true God so he proposed a challenge before he pronounced God’s promise of the return of rain.

You do not have to wait for a special invitation from God before you challenge the false teachings of this world. God has demonstrated to you HIS power and HE desires to demonstrate to the world HIS power. By faith you are able to confront wickedness. By faith you can draw the world’s attention to the one true God. God desires to show HIMSELF strong, why don’t you use your creativity and find ways that you can help the world to see the power of God.

You are not here to simply grow fat on the land. You are here to draw the world’s attention to the Lord. It is your duty to God to allow the light of God to shine so that when the world sees you all they really see is the light of God. God does not like lukewarm Christians. HE desires to see you fully dedicated to HIM and to HIS cause. Just as those around you need to be fully dedicated to the Lord, so too must you be totally dedicated to HIS purposes. It is time to stretch your faith and fully dedicate yourself to challenge the world to see the power of God.

I Kings 17:20 And he cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?

God had commanded Elijah to stay with a widow during the drought. God had fulfilled both Elijah and the widow’s daily needs. However, one day, the widow’s son died. The widow was sure that her son had died because she was a sinner and the fact that a man of God was in her house meant that she had to be punished for her sins.

Elijah took the child and he cried out to God and asked God to bring the widow’s son back to life. Elijah prayed the impossible; he prayed that the child would be raised from the dead. Elijah had never seen God raise someone from the dead. While other prophets and judges had great power, there is no recording of God using a man to raise someone from the dead. This was a new thing that Elijah was asking. Yet Elijah had faith to cry out to God for the need of the widow.

Elijah prayed and then he stretched himself upon the child three times. Elijah then cried out to God again and the child’s soul came back into him. We do not know how long this prayer session of Elijah took. This could have been a five-minute prayer session or it could have been all night. However, based upon the fact that Elijah had to stretch himself over the boy three times, it probably would be a good indication that God was preparing Elijah for his confrontation with Ahab by teaching Elijah persistent prayer.

God did not simply give Elijah what he wanted when he wanted it, but instead, let Elijah toil and pray and wait for the Lord to give to Elijah the thing that he asked for. Elijah had boldness to ask for the son of the widow to return to life. Elijah was willing to ask the impossible so that God would be glorified through him. Because Elijah was willing to ask for the impossible and was able to see the Lord work through him, the widow believed that he was a man of God. Furthermore, this occurrence helped grow Elijah’s faith and this enabled him when he heard there was a cloud in the sky the size of a man’s fist to proclaim that rain was coming.

God rewarded Elijah’s faith by giving him his request. God loves to do the impossible through you. The problem is, you do not ask God to do the impossible. You do not seek for ways that God can use you to draw attention to HIM. Yes, you are willing to ask for the impossible for your own benefit. But why should God grant you your request when it is something that you are only going to consume and will not result in HIM being glorified through your life? God is the one who is demonstrating the power, why should he give you something that does not result in being acknowledged as the One true God who is alive and powerful today.

God desires to use you to draw the world’s attention to HIM. HE created the world and HE desires that the world seek to do HIS will. God is willing for you to show the world HIS power. God simply requires that you ask, seek, and knock. You must be asking God to use you; you must be looking for ways that God can be glorified through you. When you find these opportunities, you need to follow the example of Elijah who had the faith to be persistent in prayer and wait on the Lord to see HIM prove HIMSELF faithful in time of need. God would like to reward your faith, are you willing to see your faith grow?

I Kings 17:12 And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

Put yourself in this widow’s shoes; you have enough food for one last meal and some strange guy comes up to you and demands that you give him food to eat. The man claims to be of the Lord and the man claims that if you feed him first, then the Lord will take care of your every need. You know nothing about this man; he could be a world-class swindler for all you know. What would you do?

If this is a man of God, why did he not allow the widow and her son to eat first and then she could prepare a meal for him? If this is a man of God, why does he need her to provide him a meal? These are questions that probably went through the widow’s mind as she was contemplating what to do with her last meal. This widow apparently was not an Israelite and did not believe in the God of Israel. Even though God provided her with meal after meal because she obeyed Elijah, this widow did not believe that Elijah was a man of God until he raised her son from the dead.

This widow had probably been praying to God and ever other god for provision so that she would not die of starvation. God brought her the answer to her prayers by Elijah and she was willing to trust this complete stranger and give him her last meal so that she might be saved. If this widow had been more skeptical, she would have missed the opportunity God had brought to her and she probably would have died. Her prayers were answered by the bringing of Elijah and while this was probably not the way she expected an answer to her prayers, she was expected to make a step of faith that minute.

God does not always answer your prayers in the way that you expect. God desires to stretch your faith so HE does things that ensure when the miracle is complete that HE is the One who is glorified. God does not want you to receive all the glory for HIS power demonstrated through you. God loves to do the impossible so that when you share your testimony, everyone will know that only God was able to perform this miracle.

Sometimes God’s answers to prayers are going to come in an unexpected way. It will be up to you to learn how to discern God’s will for your life and to see HIS hand of provision. God desires that you are on your knees seeking HIS face and learning to hear HIS still small voice. You can easily miss HIS provision for your life if you are not attentive to HIM and to how HE is providing an answer to your request.

It took great faith for the widow to give up her last meal to a perfect stranger. The widow was required to give up everything that she had in order to see the Lord provide for her needs. The widow had to give up her ability to take care of herself and trust completely on the Lord through HIS servant Elijah.

God desires to stretch your faith. HE desires that you learn to cry out to HIM and to rely completely upon HIM and not your own strength. God wants to break you down so that you are not self-reliant and cannot rely upon your own abilities. Learn to put God first in your life and watch how HE is able to reward your faith in ways that you never imagined.

I Kings 17:9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.

God allowed Elijah’s provision to dry up at the brook Cherith. As a result, it became time for Elijah to move onto a new location. God did not choose a grand location with important people around, but instead, God sent Elijah to a widow. Elijah may have been obeying God when he declared a drought, but this did not automatically mean that he was going to live in prosperity during the drought.

God had provided for Elijah’s needs at the brook. Elijah did not have to do anything but sit and wait for the food to come to him. Elijah sat back, had plenty of water and God proved that he was faithful on a daily basis. Now, God choose to demonstrate to Elijah that HE could satisfy Elijah’s needs through individuals. Elijah was to humble himself and go to a widow and ask her to sustain him for the rest of the drought.

Elijah did not go to a rich person who could afford to provide for daily necessities, but God sent him to a widow. To beg for food from a widow demonstrates just how humbling of a situation God placed Elijah in. This great man of God who did great things for God was required to beg of widows. Elijah obeyed and humbled himself.

God sent Elijah to a widow who had a need. This widow was about to die for lack of food, so God allowed Elijah’s provision at the brook to dry up so that Elijah would be willing to move and would be willing to minister to this widow. God demonstrated his ability to provide for Elijah, the widow and her son by causing the food to not run out.

Elijah may have been in a humbling situation when he went to the widow, but it was through this humbling situation that Elijah found his needs provided for. God could have sent Elijah to another brook or HE could have caused the brook never to dry up. However, God knew that Elijah needed to be around people and that Elijah needed to be doing something that caused others to see God through his life. There was a time for solitude faith, but now it was time for Elijah’s faith to be demonstrated to others so that God would be magnified.

There are times in a Christian’s life where you are going to feel alone. A time when it is just you and God and you have to rely completely on HIM to meet your every need. It does not matter how faithful you are to HIM, it is a time where God desires you to draw closer to HIM by causing you to rely completely on HIM. There are also times where God desires to use your faith to demonstrate HIS power to others. God allows you to have a need not so you turn from HIM, but instead, so that you draw closer to HIM and you look to HIM to provide the answer to your need.

God is faithful; HE has not forsaken you. Just because you feel like you are in a trying time, it does not automatically mean that you are in the situation because you are a sinner. Your trying times could be the opportunity God is looking for to demonstrate HIMSELF strong in your life so that the world will see and will draw closer to HIM. God loves to use your impossible situations to create a testimony of HIS power that you can use to share with others. God gives grace to the humble and HE will reward your faith.

I Kings 17:5-6 So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan, and the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.

Elijah had obeyed the Lord and told king Ahab that it was not going to rain until Elijah told the king otherwise. King Ahab and the nation of Israel were experiencing the consequences of Ahab’s sin and Ahab rather then blame himself, desired to kill Elijah because he felt Elijah was the reason for all of his problems.

Elijah had obeyed the Lord and now his life was in jeopardy. God told Elijah exactly where to go and when Elijah arrived at the brook, the Lord used the ravens to provide food for Elijah. God knew where HE could hide Elijah were Ahab would never find him. God knew how to provide for Elijah’s every need. Elijah obeyed God by going to the brook and he found that his needs were provided.

Apparently, Elijah never complained to God that God was providing him food by means of an unclean bird. God never required Elijah to eat the ravens, but it was the raven’s who brought to Elijah bread and meat. Elijah had a need and God was supernaturally meeting that need and as such, Elijah apparently did not complain about the means God choose to meet his needs.

What would have happened to Elijah should he have chosen not to obey the Lord and go to the brook Cherith? Do you think God would have continued to provide bread and meat to Elijah? Do you think God would have continued to protect Elijah from the searches of Ahab? God had a perfect will for Elijah and it required that Elijah follow God�s instructions completely. There was no room for Elijah to second-guess God. Elijah had to hear God and he had to obey.

By faith you will learn to hear the voice of God in your life. By faith when you are faced with a difficult decision, you must learn to put aside your own desires and fully follow God’s direction. You do not always understand why God tells you to do what HE tells you, but it is not your position to also understand. Sometimes you must simply blindly obey and watch HIM direct your paths. There is peace that passeth all understand when you are in the middle of the will of God for your life.

Because Elijah obeyed, God protected him from Ahab. Yes, the brook Cherith may have been in Palestine, but there was no country that Ahab did not go to in order to find Elijah. Ahab may have looked everywhere for Elijah, but God protected Elijah and ensured that Ahab did not look were Elijah actually was at. God is willing to protect you from harm if you will but obey HIM and seek to do HIS will. God may not have told you yet to go hide, but HE has told you to seek HIS face. Maybe some of the problems that you are experiencing are directly related to your lack of spending time with HIM.

God gives both big and small instructions that you are to follow. If you are not spending time with HIM, you are missing HIS instructions and you are missing out on HIS protection and provision. This means you need to start spending more time with the Lord. You need to by faith, start seeking HIS face and start obeying HIS direction for your life.

I Kings 17:1 And Elijah the Tishbit, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.

Welcome to the life of Elijah. This is the first verse in the Bible in which Elijah is mentioned. There are no soft and easy introductions. Instead, the scriptures jump straight to what Elijah’s purpose in life was, to tell Ahab that there was going to be no rain.

Elijah was a prophet of God and it was his duty to share with the king the words of God. Ahab was a wicked king and it was time for judgment in the land of Israel. Elijah understood that it would not be easy to go to the king and tell the king the bad news, but Elijah had boldness and he did what God requested him to do. Elijah demonstrated his faith in God by being willing to confront the king and to allow the God he served to protect him from the king who did not appreciate the word of the Lord.

Elijah heard the word of the Lord and he obeyed God and proclaimed the word of God to a heathen king. Elijah understood that if he desired to be a prophet of God who heard God speaking, then he must be willing to obey God regardless of what God asked him to do. God did not share with Elijah how HE planned on protecting and providing for him after he proclaimed the word of the Lord, Elijah was simply told to obey.

Elijah had a difficult job in that he was expected to confront the king of Israel and his sins. However, throughout Elijah’s life, as Elijah demonstrated his obedience to the will of God, God protected, directed, and provided. God was faithful to Elijah, as Elijah remained faithful to the will of God for his life.

Elijah did not have an easy life because he followed God’s will, but he did have a life full of examples of how God could meet his every need. Elijah understood his position with God and as such, he yielded his life to the service of God. Elijah was used to do great things for God because he was willing to be used of God.

God is looking for individuals to do great things for HIM. HE is looking for individuals who are willing to listen to HIM and to do the difficult things that HE requires. Just as God used Elijah because he was willing, so too can God use you if you are willing. Your life will not be easy, but as you learn to put HIM first in your life, God will be able to do things through your life that you never imagined. God will direct you, HE will provide for you and HE will protect you if you will learn to put HIS will before your own. As you learn to allow HIM to be magnified through your life, God will continue to use you for greater things.

Put aside your own ambitions. It is time for you to step out in the will of God and to do those things that HE has requested you to do. It takes faith to do the will of God, but HE has given you examples like Elijah who was asked to do difficult things and HE took care of them. Your faith will be tested if you do the will of God, but as long as you remain faithful, you can rest upon the scripture that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to HIS purpose. It does not matter how difficult the task that God has asked you to do, it is your duty to demonstrate your faith and obey.