Be Still And Know That He Is God

1 Kings 19:11-12---And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

Elijah had come to the mountain of God, the place of fresh inspiration. He saw the wind so strong it broke the rocks. The ground shook with an earthquake. A fire followed the earthquake. But God had not passed by him in any of those things. Those things preceded God. God came in the gentle whisper. What was this discouraged prophet learning from God's lesson to Him? Perhaps he thought the fire from heaven would transform the hearts of the people causing a national revolt and return to God. The rain had been a physical sign that God was working through Elijah. Surely they would all listen then. But all those physical things only preceded the real work of God, His whisper to each and every heart. That is where the real change comes. Man is always seeking some great physical sign or manifestation. We want to see and hear and feel something that will move our senses. God may precede a work in that manner. If people are too immature or off track it may be necessary. But what follows is really where God is. He is in the voice that speaks to the heart and brings a change of attitude to the heart. That is where individuals and nations are changed. God is about to whisper a word to Elijah that will change the course of nations.

Where Do You Go For Fresh Inspiration?

1 Kings 19:7-8---And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. 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.

Poor Elijah! He had been on the run and in hiding for three and a half years. He brought a great victory for God and was forced back into hiding again. God sent an angel to deliver the food and water he needed. Elijah was so tired from the spiritual conflict that he needed an angelic alarm clock. He was encouraged to eat to get the strength he needed for the journey. There is a temptation for those suffering from depression to forget the physical. Elijah needed to eat to get the strength to move to a new setting. We can use a change of scenery. It gets our mind off the problems that have overwhelmed us. Then we are able to hear from God without the cloud of things troubling us and distorting what He speaks to our hearts. He traveled to the same place Moses got his inspiration, Horeb. Horeb means 'fresh inspiration'. That was what Moses needed too. Moses went from second in Egypt to being a shepherd and had given up the hope of helping his people. When we get to the place of despair that Elijah and Moses were in, we need to get away to a mountain of inspiration. We need to meet with God and hear from Him. We need God's perspective on our situation.

Lost Opportunity, Jeremiah 8:20

Five Keys To Answered Prayer

If You Are Discouraged, Remember That God Is Sovereign, A Very Present Help

1 Kings 19:2-4---Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time. 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. 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.

When Ahab relayed to Jezebel the message of Elijah's victory on Mt. Carmel, she promised to do to Elijah what he had done to the prophets of Baal. In doing so, she made an oath common at the time. She vowed that if she couldn't do it to him, then the gods could do it to her. God took her up on that. We need to watch carefully the vows that come from our lips. God does. It is hard to imagine her heart being so hard that, even after hearing of a mighty miracle of God, she would attempt to murder the instrument of that miracle. Elijah took her threat seriously. He faced the false prophets, but he was afraid to face Jezebel and her army. Going off into the desert, he found a bit of shade to rest under and asked God to take him home. He must have thought that after the great victory, things would suddenly change. The people knew Jehovah was God, so why didn't they overthrow Ahab and Jezebel? Elijah was burned out. He had fought for his life and the cause of the LORD and came to the climactic point, yet nothing seemed to have changed. Even great men of God despair of life. In God's time, there will be a change in the nation. Elijah had to train a disciple before he could go to his heavenly home. Despair comes upon us at times, but don't give up. There are things yet to be done.

The Importance of Prayer

1 Kings 18:36-37---At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O LORD, answer me so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God and that you are turning their hearts back again."

Elijah had given the prophets of Baal every advantage. He gave them most of the day. They had hundreds of Baal priests. When they had exhausted all their efforts he built an altar of twelve stones, arranged the wood, and upon it placed the sacrificial bull. He dug a trough around the altar. Then he had the people drench the altar with water until the trough filled up. It must have been 3PM, the time of the evening sacrifice. Elijah prayed the above prayer. He declared the reason for this test was that the people would know the God of Israel is the most powerful god, and that he was doing these things at God's command. He prayed that the people would know that the LORD (Jehovah) is God. He prayed that they would realize God was turning their hearts back. A fire fell from heaven and consumed everything, including the altar stones! Then the people shouted, "Elijah, Elijah, Elijah!" Elijah's name means God is Jehovah! They were declaring that God is Jehovah. Elijah's prayer was answered. If we operate at God's command and pray with a heart to see people realize that the LORD is God, we can expect to see miracles also. We can expect God to turn hearts back to Him. If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

It's Your Decision

1 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 had Ahab meet him on Mt. Carmel with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah. The people of Israel gathered to watch the showdown. After three and a half years without rain, did they still believe Baal brought the blessing of rain? He asked them point blank, but they do not answer him one word. What would it take? What will it take today, as we see the weather plaguing us instead of blessing us? How long will the people of the world look to the god of science? How long will we waver between two opinions? People do not want to believe in God because they intrinsically realize that if He is real, He is worthy of our worship. If He is our Creator, then we owe all to Him. God was wooing Israel back to Himself with a challenge to believe. He had shown the impotence of their supposed gods, just as He had done before when He brought them out of Egypt. What will it take? Though Israel's false god could not perform for them, they refused to believe in the God that had already performed miracles throughout their history. How many times does God have to miraculously show us that He alone is God? We will look at history and take lessons of the past as valid instruction today in the secular sense. Why not learn from the history of the many ways that God has proven Himself to be the Almighty One?

Standing For Truth And Righteousness

1 Kings 18:17-18---And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.

Elijah has been in hiding for three years. Wicked King Ahab searched the nations for him. The drought was so severe that it was destroying the kingdom. When God sent Elijah to meet with the king, the king called him, "the troubler of Israel" Amazing how the world sees the saint as the evil one. There is a cry in some societies today against "the intolerant Christians". There will always be a cry against the righteous who stand for integrity and truth. As long as you represent the LORD, and hold Him as the standard, the world will hate you and blame you for the troubles that stem from the judgments of God. Elijah had come to bring the mercy of God in the form of rain. He set the record straight when he told Ahab that it was he and his family that was the cause of the trouble in Israel. Why? They have abandoned the LORD's commands and followed Baal. If God allowed rain when the people looked to Baal for it, He would be encouraging them to have faith in a lie. The mercy of God withheld the rain. The guilty often point their finger at the very ones who are trying to bring the grace and mercy of God into a situation. There are times when a brother will bring us a harsh word. We must determine whether there is validity in it, or if we are being attacked for our integrity. A heart that is soft toward God will soon know the difference. Ahab did not have such a heart. I trust, by the grace of God, you and I do.

When God Provides There Is Always Enough!

1 Kings 17:14-15---For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house did eat many days.

Once the Kerith Ravine dried up, the Lord sent Elijah to the home of a Gentile woman. If you thought ravens were stingy, try humans. But a few verses earlier the LORD said He had commanded her to feed Elijah. Elijah gave her a real faith test by asking her to feed him first and then cook their meal from the little left in her jar. If the LORD had not commanded her to do this, I doubt she would have even considered it. Even though there was a promise that a miracle would happen, consider that this woman is not Jewish. The prophet before her had been camping out in a ravine for months. Who is going to give their last meal to him instead of feeding their own child? But just as the LORD commanded the Ravens, so He commanded her. When she obeyed, she found the promise was true. One pastor tells of the surprise she must have experienced each time she reached in to scrape the bottom of the jars. Just enough for another meal, again, and again, and again! We have the same experience when we abide in Christ. We think we have scraped the bottom of the mercy and grace jar with a certain brother. We reach into the life of Christ within us and, low and behold, there is just enough for the present situation. Then another situation comes along. The last time, we know we scraped the bottom and had just barely enough. Here this brother is offending us again. How can we possibly find the mercy to forgive him? But we reach into the earthen vessel that holds the treasure and what do you know! It is just enough to meet the present circumstance.

The LORD Will Care For You

1 Kings 17:2-4---Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: "Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there."

Elijah had just predicted that until he prayed for rain there would be no rain on the land. Then God sent Elijah to a hide from the king and provided for him in a rather unusual way. The ravens brought him the ingredients for sandwiches. If you've ever watched ravens eat, you know they do not like to share. That's quite a miracle. God is Lord over His creation. I once read a story of a Chinese brother who was imprisoned for his faith. The guards withheld his food because he would not renounce Christ, so the LORD ordered mice to bring him food. He probably ate better on what the mice brought than if the prison had served him his meals. Jesus told us not to worry about what we will eat or wear because we have a Father in heaven that knows we are in need. If He feeds the sparrows he will feed us, for He values us more than the sparrows. The psalmist said, from his youth to his old age, he had never seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. If we are obedient to the LORD, we will not starve. We may not always have the abundance we might prefer, but God will care for us. Having food and clothing, we should be content. If we can learn to be content with the few necessities of life, the many things that distract us will lose their power of influence over us. We can then give our attention to the LORD and His instruction to us. He didn't promise us luxury in this life, in fact, he promised tribulation. But we have the assurance that He will care for us as a Father cares for his children.

Seeking Advice, Be Careful!

1 Kings 12:7-8---And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants forever. But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him:

Solomon reigned for forty years, the same number of years as his father David. Because his heart turned to other gods, the LORD promised ten tribes to one of his overseers, Jeroboam. When Solomon's son, Rehoboam, was to be crowned king, the people asked him to please lighten the burden Solomon had placed on them. Solomon had heavily taxed the people and given them assignments in service to the kingdom. Rehoboam asked the people to give him three days to consider their request. First, he went to the elders that had advised his father. They had been a part of the success of his father and had a track record of giving good advice. They had years of experience and were probably very wise individuals. They advised Rehoboam to be a servant leader. They told him that if he would indeed lighten their load, they would keep their word and serve him faithfully all their life. Rehoboam didn't like that advise. He wanted what his father had. Why should he tighten his belt and do with less? He sought out the advice of the young men he grew up with. They told him what he wanted to hear. He answered the people that he would be harsher than his father. The ten northern tribes drew away with Jeroboam as their leader, fulfilling the word of God. Man always wants more. It is hard for the carnal nature to give up niceties of life but oh so easy to desire more. In Rehoboam's greed, he lost nearly all. Instead of a minor cutback, he had to make a major one.

Don't Let Anything Or Anyone Dilute Your Testimony

1 Kings 11:4---For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.

Solomon started with a heart after God. He had learned from his father, David, that God was worthy of all our praise. The blessing of God was upon Solomon, and he was probably the wisest and wealthiest king to ever live. But in prosperity, there is a great danger. He had a weakness for women. He married women from the countries that the Lord had forbidden the Israelites to marry. God had warned in the Law that if there should be a king over Israel, he was not to multiply to himself many wives. God warned that wives of other nations would turn his heart from the true God. There are a number of warnings for us in this sad account of the demise of Solomon. The first is to pay attention to the word of God. We may think our abilities or gifts make us exempt from some passage or direction. We may justify our sin in any number of ways, but we will suffer for disobedience. The warnings in the Word are for our own good. Choose your mate carefully. Your mate will, over time, affect your relationship with God. You may think you can win them, or that you will not be affected, but two do become one. There has to be an influence. If you are already in a marriage with an unbeliever, pray! Pray for strength to stand firm in your faith. Pray for opportunities to help turn your mate's heart. Look for the leading of the Holy Spirit to share God's love for them. We see in this passage that God is after a fully devoted heart, not a heart of compromise. In our old age, when we are slowing down from everything, we are tempted to slow down on our wholehearted devotion. Don't go there! Finish strong. Endure to the end. Have a heart like David!

Expressing The Lord's Character

1 Kings 10:8-9---Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom. Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice.

The Queen of Sheba had heard of the wisdom of Solomon and his relation to the name of the LORD. We often overlook her interest in Solomon's relationship to the name of the LORD. The LORD's name is the sum of all His attributes. The LORD is all-wise, but He is also faithful, merciful, loving, just, true, holy, etc. She came to see it all in Solomon. All men are a poor reflection, but Solomon was one of the best in the world at that time. After spending time asking questions, hearing his answers and seeing the wealth and splendor of his royal court, she burst into the praise of verse 9. Once again, we have an expression of just why it is the LORD bestows His favor. Why did God place Solomon over Israel? It was because of His eternal love for them. Has anyone ever come to visit with you because of your relation to the name of the LORD? They may have without you being aware of the real reason for their visit. If we are truly walking with the LORD, in His Spirit, the seekers will be overwhelmed too. It is not you they are overwhelmed about, but the LORD whose life is expressed through yours. Why has God placed you where you are and doing what you do? It is because He loves the people around you and desires for you to be an example of Him in that environment.

Are You FULLY Committed?

1 Kings 8:59-61---And let these my words, wherewith I have made supplication before the LORD, be nigh unto the LORD our God day and night, that he maintain the cause of his servant, and the cause of his people Israel at all times, as the matter shall require: That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is none else. Let your heart, therefore, be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.

Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple is worth taking time to study. The end of that prayer is our Scripture today. He asks that this prayer be continually before the LORD and to uphold their cause. The reason he is bold enough to ask this is verse 60, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other. This was God's heart. If Israel would truly live in relationship with God, then the world would receive the witness of God's faithfulness and love. The world would know there is no other god. That was God's intention in forming Israel as a nation, to witness to the world the blessing of obedience and worship of the one true God. BUT, there is always a condition. That is because we are creatures with a free will. BUT, your hearts must be fully committed to the LORD our God. It is the same today. You are the only bible that many will read. God will hear your prayer and uphold your cause, BUT your heart must be fully committed to Him. If people look to you as a person in relationship with God but your walk does not match your talk, they will be misled. But if you are fully committed, even with your mistakes, they will see an example. The eyes of Israel had been on David when he fell, but because his heart was fully committed, they saw an example of conviction and repentance. They saw a humbled man.

Our Body Is God's Temple

1 Kings 8:10-11---And it came to pass when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD.

When Solomon had finished building the temple that David had planned, the priests stepped out of the Holy Place (an inner room of the temple). Then a cloud filled the temple of the LORD. The Hebrews associated clouds with the glory of God. Their ancestors had seen the cloud on Sinai when Moses met with God. The glory of the LORD so filled the temple that the priests could not come in and do their assigned duties. Our bodies are the temples of the LORD. Jesus said, "Destroy this temple (meaning his body) and in three days I will raise it up." His body was so full of the glory of God that He did nothing except what the Father showed Him. Jesus didn't really have His own ministry isolated and of itself. He was a yielded instrument to the glory of His Father. He got out of the way and let God work, and so "we have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14 (NIV) The glory of the Father was the operating source in Him. We are often carried away with our ministry and wrapped up in what must be done. If we are not careful and focused we will end up ministering from the wrong source. The glory needs to fill our temple, our earthly body. Then there is no room for us to get in the way and make a mess of things. The glory needs to fill us so that He is the source of our activity and we are merely submitted vessels for that glory.