Thought for the Week - 22nd October 2023

Dear Friends, 

Earlier this year the Thursday morning Bible Study group completed a study on the life of the Old Testament prophet Elijah. My daily Bible Study notes have just started a period of looking at the life of Elijah, which can be found in 1 and 2 Kings. Elijah is described as the most famous and dramatic of Israel’s prophets and is perhaps best remembered for how he ‘died’, being carried off by a chariot of fire and horses of fire taking him up into heaven (2 Kings 2:11) as witnessed by Elisha. Now even though we don‘t know very much about Elijah and his background – he was a Tishbite from Tishbe in Gilead the Bible tells us – what shines through the story is his single-minded commitment to God. He was sent to confront, not to comfort, and he spoke God’s words to a king – King Ahab – who often rejected his message just because he brought it. Elijah chose to carry out his ministry for God alone and paid for that decision by experiencing isolation from others who were also faithful to God. One of the most important moments in the story of Elijah comes on Mount Carmel and his confrontation with the prophets of Baal. He had gone before the people and announced, ‘If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him’ (1 Kings 18:21). Elijah challenged the people to take a stand and to follow whoever was the true God, and there followed a display in the form of a sacrificial offering which the prophets of Baal tried to enact but failed miserably and which Elijah carried out, praying, ‘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’ (1 Kings 18:36-37). On witnessing the sign of the sacrificial offering, the people responded, ‘The Lord – he is God! The Lord – he is God!’ Elijah often struggled with his feelings, feelings of inadequacy and uselessness, and to that end, the New Testament book of James tells us that he was like us (James 5:17). But God remained faithful to him even amidst such turmoil in his life and used him for his glory. Even today God often speaks through the gentle and obvious rather than the spectacular and unusual, and God has work for us to do even when we feel fear and failure. And whilst we might wish to do amazing miracles for God, our focus first and foremost should be on developing our relationship with him. The real miracle of Elijah’s life was his very personal relationship with God, as seen in the meaning of his name, ‘Yahweh is my God’, something that is available to us all.

Grace and peace,

Neil

                                                                                                                       

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