Faith. We all have it and we all need it. Faith is as important as eating, drinking and sleeping. Riding one of the longest zip lines in the Midwest at an Iowa-based camp I often speak at, requires faith. You climb up a tree on a bluff, harness in and jump off a platform to be propelled through the air to the other side of the valley. The experience is fun, but it requires a certain amount of faith in the person running this ropes activity and the equipment they use to protect you. Faith is the essence of just about every part of life.

In chapter 17 of 1 Kings, we have Elijah, one of the more extraordinary people in the Bible. Elijah is called by God to confront the current King of the Northern Kingdom, Ahab. Ahab is one bad dude. In fact, he is seriously wicked. Ahab not only worshipped false gods, but also married a woman named Jezebel whose life mission was to rout all of the adherents to Yahweh, the one true God, out of Israel. Elijah was one of the greatest prophets of the Bible who appeared on the mount of transfiguration with Moses. He was the great prophet whom Israel expected to eventually introduce the coming of the Messiah. We don’t know the location of the town Elijah came from or his genealogy, but what we do know is that his name means ‘God Jehovah’ and that the whole of his mission was encapsulated in that name. He was to bring back the recognition and worship of the one true God from the worship of the false god of the day, Baal. Elijah was not a feel good kind of guy. He hated Baal and knew that the people of his day needed a clear message to turn from their evil ways.

Extraordinary Faith:

No rain and no dew for a few years. God was going to bring a wake up call and it was coming through his messenger, Elijah. Think about how devastating that would be to us today, let alone to an agricultural society. This was a serious wake up call from the Lord. Go loves us so much, friends, that he will go to the extreme in painful measures in our lives if in so doing, there is the potential for us to turn our lives over to him. James gives some insight into the incredible faith of this man.

James 5:17-18

Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

Our prayers reveal the extraordinary nature of our faith. Elijah was not some superhuman individual, but a man chosen by God, as we are, for a specific purpose. A man with the faith to pray powerful, weather-impacting prayers. This kind of severe drought would impact the messenger as well, so God took care of his dietary needs as well as his need for protection from a king committed to killing him. There is an intense search for Elijah, so God hides him and through ravens, birds that were forbidden to be eaten by Jewish law, he is fed with bread and meat regularly, and provided water from the brook. Now things get interesting for Elijah when the brook that provided water for him dries up. God could have kept the brook flowing for him, but He didn’t.

This is a huge truth in our journey to be people of extraordinary faith. God transitions us to build our faith. His provision comes to us in waves so that our faith can be strengthened in the transitions of his provision for us. Often the place God transitions you to is not easier or better; it is just different to strengthen your faith in various ways. But when God’s provision for us seemingly dries up we must be tuned to the direction of God in our life.

The word of the Lord came to Elijah and directed him to Zarephath. That is just like God. He has this nice, quiet, safe place away from the reach of the king and the Baal worshipers and now God dries up the brook and sends him to the center of enemy territory and the place that is the heart of Baalism, the native land of the evil Queen Jezebel. In addition, these people were the poorest of those greatly impacted by the drought.  God is expanding Elijah’s faith in the transition, and likewise, He will always transition us to expand our faith.

How is God transitioning you today? In the changes, dryness, pain, joys and opportunities of your life, is God not expanding your faith so that you become a person like Elijah? Share your thoughts and comments by clicking on the ‘Add new comment’ button.

Rev. Jason Esposito

Senior Pastor