Elijah From the Life Application Study Bible

ELIJAH'S SINGLE-MINDED COMMITMENT to God shocks and challenges us. He was sent to confront, not comfort. And he spoke God's words to a king who often rejected the message just because it was Elijah who brought it. Elijah was faithful to carry out his ministry for God, and this caused great tension and animosity between him and the king, who wanted Elijah's loyalty to be directed toward him. As a result, Elijah was on the run at times, having to hide from the angry king who meant him harm. Alone and isolated from the fellowship of others who were also serving God, Elijah sometimes wondered if he was the only person left in the land who was faithfully following his Lord.

It is interesting to think about the amazing miracles God accomplished through Elijah, but we would do well to focus on Elijah's relationship with God. Everything that happened in Elijah's life began as a result of his response to the same miracle that is now available to us-the ability to know God personally.

More on Elijah from the Life Application Study Bible:

For example, after God did an overwhelming miracle through Elijah in defeating the prophets of Baal, Queen Jezebel retaliated by threatening Elijah's life. Then Elijah ran. He felt afraid, depressed, and abandoned. Despite God's provision of food and shelter in the wilderness, Elijah wanted to die. So God presented Elijah with an audiovisual display and a message he needed to hear. Elijah witnessed a windstorm, an earthquake, and a fire. But the Lord was not in any of those powerful things. Instead, God displayed his presence in a gentle whisper.

Elijah, like we often do, still struggled with his feelings even after this comforting message from God. So God confronted Elijah's emotions and commanded action. He told Elijah what to do next and gave him encouraging news to help with his feelings of loneliness: Seven thousand others in Israel were still faithful to God.

Even today, God often speaks through the gentle and obvious rather than the spectacular and unusual. God has work for us to do even when we feel fear and failure. And God always has more resources and people than we know about. Although we might wish to do amazing miracles for God, we should instead focus on developing a relationship with him. The real miracle of Elijah's life was his very personal relationship with God. And that miracle is available to us.

The Bible says in 1 Kings chapter 18 verses 36 through 38:

"At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: 'LORD, the 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, Lord, answer me so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench."

Elijah's story is told in 1 Kings 17:1-2 Kings 2:11. He is also mentioned in 2 Chronicles 21:12-15: Malachi 4:5-6: Matthew 11:14; 16:14: 17:3-13:27:47-49; Luke 1:17; 4:25-26; John 1:19-25; Romans 11:2-4; James 5:17-18.

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