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Today: “What are you doing here, ….?”
Passage: 1 Kings 19
Then a voice said to him, Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” 14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” (1 Kings 19, NIV)-emphasis added
Elijah had challenged the prophets of Baal to bring fire from heaven
They failed, but God showed up for Elijah. Elijah took care of Baal’s prophets.
King Ahab told all this to his wife Jezebel; she immediately sent word to Elijah that she was looking to kill him (1 Kings 19)
When you please God, you displease certain people
Elijah took her words seriously (?), got frightened and started running for life! He took human voice seriously, and started acting upon
In the New Testament, we see Peter, on whom the fire of God came as power on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2)
Peter was a coward before that. He disowned Jesus before a young girl!
But once the fire of the Holy Spirit came upon him, Peter never knew what “fear” meant. Spirit of God is not a spirit of fear
If we are truly baptized by the Holy Spirit, we will not fear people, nor shall we try to please them at the expense of displeasing God
Now, God strengthened Elijah with bread and water, even as he was running away, in fear. He somehow ended up in Horeb, the mountain of God
You could be running for your own reasons, but God will show up somewhere
Jacob was running away from home; God met him at the unexpected Luz (Bethel)
At Horeb, God asked Elijah a question: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
God is asking us the same question; “What are you doing here, …….?”
What are you doing in the place you live? What are you doing in the place you work? What are you doing in the Church you attend? What are you doing with regard to your family responsibility? What…..?
God asks questions. He needs answers
Send your answers to God, via knee-mail.
God bless you
BG
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for the question. Here’s my answer (….). I was running in my own direction. Help me to run towards you, not away from you so that I can do what you want me to do. Amen
“When man scares, God cares”