Prophet in the Middle

~~~ 1 Kings 17:7-16 ~~~ Psalm 4 ~~~ Matthew 5:13-16 ~~~

O LORD, let the light 

of your countenance shine upon us!

The name “Elijah” means “the Lord is my God.” 

Elijah stands in the middle of the battle between
 the fertility god Baal and The Lord.
Who will the Israelis pledge their loyalties to,
 Baal or the Lord of Elijah.

Being a prophet must be both challenging and rewarding.
You are both the bearer of good and bad news.
Your message is either heeded or you are ousted.
Whatever the result it is never easy.
Oftentimes the one chosen by God to be a prophet
does not want to accept this anointing.

Elijah had a most difficult task, because Baal was the favored god
of King Ahab's wife, Jezebel.

One can only imagine her outrage at Elijah's
 announcement of the drought.

Jezebel could have easily ordered him to be executed.

God saw fit to protect him by sending him away.

God protects us in ways we do not see or understand too.
God provided for Elijah's well-being;
he sent food by raven.
He led him to the poor widow
who was preparing to die with her son. 

She was an unlikely one to rescue him from starvation.
She had very little left in the cupboard.

She, however, listens to Elijah and complies with his request.
Sometimes God asks us to do something out of our expectations.
The widow was resigned to her fate;
God entered in and changed her whole life.
God not only changed her immediate life, he gave her a new life.
The flour sack and the oil jar mysteriously replenished themselves...
of course we know God did this for her obedience.

For the LORD, the God of Israel, says,
‘The jar of flour shall not go empty,
nor the jug of oil run dry,
until the day when the LORD sends rain upon the earth.’

God watches over those he has appointed to do his work.
The work of a prophet was one of the most rewarding
 and one of the most dangerous.

That day God Blessed the house of the widow.
Later God allowed Elijah to perform a miracle
when the widow's son suddenly dies.

She had been a good and faithful servant of the Lord;
 God in turn gave her son back to her.

Certainly we cannot expect such demonstrative
miracles from God on a regular basis.

God is always at work on our behalf.
He does shine the light of his countenance down upon us.

Being in the middle is not so bad when
God is part of the mix. 

Being in the middle can be a Blessing
 when you are bringing forth the Kingdom of God.

What are you in the middle of today?
Where is God in this picture?
~~~Peace~~~