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Person Of The Week: Elijah
During the horrible reign of Ahab – a time in which God’s prophets were murdered and prophets of Baal flourished – God raised up a very courageous, uncompromising voice of opposition. So great was the prophet Elijah that he serves as the prototype of John the Baptist (Matt. 17:11-13).
The Scriptures present two sides of this faithful prophet:
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He was a man of strong courage and was unafraid to confront Ahab and his wicked queen, Jezebel. Elijah challenged their idolatrous prophets to a contest on Mt. Carmel to see if they could make their god, Baal, perform a miraculous act (I Kings 18:20-40). When they failed but Jehovah succeeded, Elijah executed the false prophets. What a powerful vindication of truth!
- But Elijah “was a man with a nature like ours” (James 5:17), and as such he also became discouraged. Immediately after the vanquishing of Baal’s prophets, Elijah still felt as if he had not accomplished anything substantial. He had a “pity party” by going into the wilderness and asking God to take his life (I Kings 19). But God still had work for this great prophet to do.
And so it is with us. When we are discouraged, our meaning and purpose will be found in God, not in human achievements or approval. Do your part, and let God take care of the rest.
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