Before Him
Author: Pastor Thomas G. Wilson
March 30, 2020
1 Kings 17:1-9 KJV [1] And Elijah the Tishbite, 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.
Elijah, the greatest prophet called to the kingdom of Israel in history, appears, according to scripture, during the most depraved period to date. Under the rule of Ahab, who the Bible records as “doing evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him.” Along with his wicked wife, Jezebel, they intimidated the prophets of that day as well as the worshipers with threats of death, and being seen as out of touch bigots, irrelevant and oppressive. The social stigma for many is a fate worse than death. (Is it just me or is any of this relatable to the current political climate.)
Ahab and Jezebel not only worshiped Baal, erecting idols, elaborate outdoor groves of depraved sensual activity but also established an ungodly priesthood to be the spiritual voice of the monarchy to the people. In the midst of this sweeping apostasy, a man of unknown origin appears before a wicked king to deliver a word from the Lord Jehovah. The nation certainly desperately needed to hear from their God whose voice to them had become inaudible. But, before Elijah shares with the king exactly what he had been dispatched to declare, he first reminds him that there is a living God in Israel and he had been dispatched from the presence of that very self-same God! This reminded the king that there is a supreme authority that is almighty and he (Ahab) wasn’t Him.
This very same assurance, confidence, certainty, conviction and boldness, is what we all pursue. The surety of not only God being alive, and powerful, and sensitive, and loving, and full of wisdom but also the satisfaction of knowing that the One who is all that and so much more, is who I’ve come to know as I stand before Him. The extreme intensity and force of His power inspires reverential fear in me. I crumble in a heap before Him as I get a taste of His unconditional love. I lay prostrate as I conceive the beauty of His holiness. And in addition to all these qualities He is tender and kind. Because of all this His presence is secure and restful. So I wait, wait on the Lord…expecting Him to speak, to move, to give revelation in a vision or a dream, I wait. In anticipation of purpose and meaning for my life, I look to Him. Awaiting the next nugget of truth, kernel of wisdom, or sneak peak at what is to come. There is a living God in America! There is a living God in the church! There is a living God in our home! There is a living God in my heart!
For further reading: John 8:28-29; John 8:38; 1 Sam.3:19
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