Be still, and know that I am God
Happy Thanksgiving to all our readers in the US. Cameron and I are grateful for you!
The prophet Elijah was a bold prophet in Israel when King Ahab, the most wicked king ever to sit on Israel’s throne, ruled (1 Kings 16:30). Ahab was a murderous, power-hungry king who married his equal, Jezebel, the daughter of a pagan priest-king of Baal. Together, Ahab and Jezebel slaughtered as many of God’s prophets as they could and led Israel into flagrant idol worship.
Elijah stood up against them, and he was no coward. He:
- Faced Ahab and prophesied three years of drought because of the king’s evil (1 Kings 17:1)
- Depended on God to provide for him while in hiding (1 Kings 17:2-6)
- Prayed and raised a widow’s son back to life (1 Kings 17:19-24)
- Powerfully challenged 450 prophets of Baal on the summit of Mount Carmel to prove God was the only true God and ended up killing all of them (1 Kings 18:19-40)
But when Jezebel threatened to kill Elijah, he couldn’t take it anymore; he was done.
Elijah fled to the wilderness and there, prayed for his death.
“I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life” – 1 Kings 19:4 NIV
Elijah, the bold, brash man full of God’s power, had come to a place where life was too much to handle.
When that happened, God did not respond with disappointment or rebuke. Instead, He sent an angel to attend to Elijah’s physical needs (1 Kings 19:5-8).Soon after Elijah hit rock bottom, God revealed Himself to Elijah in a personal encounter (1 Kings 19:11-13). He met him, not in a powerful wind, not in an earthquake, not in a fire, but in a gentle whisper.
God may allow circumstances too hard for us to handle, so we stop striving, become still and know that He is God.
God invites you into the silence today.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” – Psalms 46:10 NIV
