The story is told of Franklin Roosevelt, who often endured long receiving lines at the White House. He complained that no one really paid any attention to what was said. One day, during a reception, he decided to try an experiment. To each person who passed down the line and shook his hand, he murmured, "I murdered my grandmother this morning." The guests responded with phrases like, "Marvelous! Keep up the good work. We are proud of you. God bless you, sir." It was not till the end of the line, while greeting the ambassador from Bolivia, that his words were actually heard. Nonplussed, the ambassador leaned over and whispered, "I'm sure she had it coming."
1 Kings 17:2,3 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan.
We only hear what we expect and probably even know. So often when we hear something different, we assume it to be a mistake from either side. Perhaps then we weaken the mission. So we follow our way and the instructions from the base is just a noise.
When we look at Elijah in v.1, he has been asked by God to make a very powerful prophecy that would stop the rains in the country. Now this brings a lot of attention on Elijah. Makes him a man of honor and some sort of supernatural thing. For sure God told him, but Elijah said it. So he is on a high. Now he is confident of his life and ministry. But in v.2 God told Elijah to leave the place and hide away. This was not done. Maybe this was the time to prove his mettle a bit more by staying there. But the kingdom is not about proving this and that but obeying God and His commands. We will continue to learn on the benefits of listening to God. But for today, If God commands you, can you hide when you are doing good ?
Stanley Thomas Isac
Stanley is serving as the Pastor of Crossway Church in New Delhi, he can be reached at Pastorstanleytisac@gmail.com
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