DARE TO PREPARE
August 05, 2021
Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to be ready to run the race that You have prepared for me. Amen.
Scripture: Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:9 NAS
A race begins with these words, “Get Ready, Get Set, Go!” Unfortunately I have been guilty of jumping the gun and running off in my own direction full speed, forgetting to get ready and set first. The story of Elijah in 1 Kings 17 through 2 Kings 2 is one of my favorites because of Elijah’s amazing faith towards God on Mt. Carmel. Actually believing God would show Himself as the One true God, He prayed for Him to send down fire from heaven. Of course, God sent the fire, and the people who had been worshipping false gods saw God’s power. The moment was right to teach them how to become followers of God. But what happened? Jezebel threatened Elijah’s life and Elijah ran away, hid under a tree, and begged God to just let him die. A day earlier he was calling down fire from heaven, but the next day he was running scared. I appreciate that the Bible is filled with REAL people. I have had “Mountaintop moments” one day and been wallowing in fear or discouragement the next. Why? It was because I was not prepared for Satan’s rebuttal. Satan will not walk away from a fight quietly. Elijah ran away from his mission field for 40 days to go to sulk and complain at the same mountain where God had met with Moses. “Look at all that I have done for you, God.” “I am the only one…” Many of you thought you were the only Christian in your school before you took the faithful step to start a prayer group. Satan loves to use the tool of isolation to make us believe we are alone, but we are not.
Elijah runs away, probably even justifying that he is running TO God and then God met him with these words, “What are you doing here Elijah?” These words make my heart pound in my chest like a drum. I never want to hear, “What are you doing here Kathy?” God had shown up and set up a fruitful mission field for Elijah and he ran in fear from the evil Queen when he should have been prepared to trust The King of Kings. I am not judging Elijah, I am just learning from God’s response to him. If we are going to live out our faith on our campuses we need to be prepared by knowing what our legal rights are, committing to pray together and stand together as a group to love unconditionally and give cheerfully. We need to put on the full armor of God to thwart Satan’s push back, and we cannot run away.
Copyright Kathy Branzell. Email [email protected]
This line really stood out to me, “ Many of you thought you were the only Christian in your school before you took the faithful step to start a prayer group. ”
Thanks! I needed that reminder today!