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Monday
Read 1 Kings 18:4-41
What is Truth? Who is the provider of Truth?
The word “truth” takes on various meanings in the Bible:
- Truth is the opposite of lies or what is false (Ephesians 4:14).
- Truth is fidelity to God’s standard (Jeremiah 7:28).
- The teaching of Jesus is called “the truth” (Galatians 2:5).
- Jesus called Himself “The Truth” (John 14:6).
Imagine if Elijah did not want to take the Truth to Ahab and his prophets of Baal. If the Truth was not taken to Power (Ahab), the people of Israel would not see that God is the Truth, and they would eventually be led further away from God.
God showed up in a mighty way to Ahab, Ahab’s prophets, and even the Israelites. God shows up to us still today. Think of a time in your life where God showed up to bring you Truth. We are powerful (in Christ) and sometimes need to hear the Truth to make changes that God wants in our heart and life.
When Elijah saw the provision God had promised, that was one of the signs that he was in the right place. Sometimes you must take a step of faith with no guarantees that things are going to work.
So, what sets Elijah apart in his prayer life? He knew God’s promises, provisions, and punishments, according to Deuteronomy 18:13-15:
“If you carefully obey the commands I am giving you today, and if you love the LORD your God and serve Him with all your heart and soul, then He will send the rains in their proper seasons—the early and late rains—so you can bring in your harvests of grain, new wine, and olive oil. He will give you lush pastureland for your livestock, and you yourselves will have all you want to eat.”
We are called to take the Truth to Power (employing God’s Truth to speak to injustices and corruption—even to authorities—empowered and led by the indwelling Holy Spirit) in this world.
Questions
Even if you are the only one who knows the Truth in your circle, why is it important to share the Truth?
Prayer
High School Engage Trip
Our Engage high school group will be headed to Maui from June 22 through June 28 to lead, follow, learn, grow, and do. Pray for the leaders of this trip to have stamina, devotion, discernment, wisdom, and selflessness in helping our students become more understanding of, compassionate to, and curious about people living in situations in which we have never lived. Help the leaders to return with greater wisdom and discernment in leading these and future students.
Tuesday
Read 1 Kings 18:36-37; Deuteronomy 11:16-173
Reading about Elijah is like watching reality TV:
“Tonight, we will be watching an incredible competition. In one corner, the prophets of Baal rely on quantity rather than quality. Opposing them is Elijah, the prophet of YHWH, who packs a significantly more powerful punch.”
“Up first, the prophets of Baal. They have set the sacrifice on the altar. What are they doing? Acting like fools? Yelling, slicing themselves, dancing like crazy people. Yet nothing has happened in all this time.”
“Elijah approaches his altar made with 12 rocks; he has covered everything in water! He even filled the trench around and under the altar with water. What is he doing? He is going to lose. After one prayer and no tomfoolery, God sends fire that is so hot the sacrifice and all the water are gone! Have you ever seen anything like this?”
Elijah simply prayed to God. He did not put on a crazy show of false piety.
“At the usual time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, ‘O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. O LORD, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself.’” (1 Kings 18:36-37)
God was faithful to Elijah in this competition and answered his short, quiet, humble prayer. The people who watched were overcome by the Truth of God. The fact that God left nothing of the sacrifice and altar untouched shows His willingness to go to extremes to save His people, even allow for His Son to be crucified on a cross.
Elijah places his confidence in the promises of the LORD and prays! Elijah is praying according to God’s promises found in Deuteronomy 11:16-17:
“But be careful. Don’t let your heart be deceived so that you turn away from the LORD and serve and worship other gods. If you do, the LORD’s anger will burn against you. He will shut up the sky and hold back the rain, and the ground will fail to produce its harvests. Then you will quickly die in that good land the LORD is giving you.”
Questions
Do you seek God in humble prayer, and are you confident in God’s past promises fulfilled?
Prayer
High School Engage Trip
Pray for the students to have the willingness to embrace opportunities for increased knowledge, understanding, compassion, and commitment to all people who share God’s earth with them. Lord, guide these students their quest for a lifelong journey of living life in reflection of Jesus Christ. When they return, help them to have a greater commitment to understanding and loving people who come from a different culture.
Wednesday
Read 1 Kings 19:11-14
Elijah’s trust in God creates his identity: Prophet of God. In this lies his confidence.His single-minded commitment shocks and challenges us still to this day. Elijah was faithful and it caused great tension and animosity between Ahab and him. He continued to prophesy even at great risk to himself.
Elijah was sent by God to confront not to comfort. Often the message was rejected just because it was Elijah who brought it. God had work for Elijah to do—God has work for us to do as well. Even when we feel fear and failure, God calls us.
Elijah had weaknesses and mistakes in his walk with God:
- He assumed he was alone in his faith to the point that he wanted to die.
- He fled in fear from Jezebel when she threatened his life. (She was killing all of the LORD’s prophets.)
- Even so, Elijah’s lessons still ring true today:
- We are never closer to defeat than in our moments of greatest victory.
- We are never as alone as we may feel; God is always with us.
- God speaks more frequently in persistent whispers than in shouts.
“The LORD said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.’
“Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper (emphasis added). When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
“Then a voice said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah? ’
“He replied, ‘I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected Your covenant, torn down your altars, and put Your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.’” (1 Kings19:11-14)
Elijah was in a very personal relationship with God. Elijah feared for his life, but God called him out of his fear to perform miracles.
Reflection
Quiet yourself and your surroundings; then pray for God to speak to you in a whisper.
Prayer
High School Engage Trip
Pray that the students and leaders will seek and embrace opportunities to engage with and learn from those who have been challenged by the results of the Maui fires. Lord, help these students and leaders to return home changed by these interactions in a meaningful, positive way as part of a lifetime of small movements to get closer to God.
Thursday
Read 2 Timothy 1:7; Joshua 1:9
It is easy to focus on the amazing miracles God accomplished through Elijah, but relationship with God is the most important point of Elijah’s prophetic life. He had a huge job of speaking the “Truth to Power.”
Elijah is a true prophet of God, as opposed to a false prophet. You can test this by comparing what prophets say and how they behave:
False Prophets:
- Worked for political purposes to benefit themselves
- Held positions of great wealth
- Gave false messages that did not line up with God’s message in Scripture
- Gave messages that were appealing to people’s sinful nature
- Spoke only what people wanted to hear
True Prophets:
- Worked for spiritual purposes to serve God and the people
- Owned little or nothing
- Gave true messages that lined up with God’s message in Scripture
- Spoke only what God told them to say, no matter how unpopular
“While we are not called to be prophets in the exact way as Elijah, we nevertheless play a ‘prophetic’ role in our time and place in history. The Lord has given each of us a platform, a sphere of influence, and it is our responsibility to be good stewards and use our platform to represent the truth and love of the kingdom of God. We are to live and speak the truth of Christ into the situations of our time.
“God wants all His people to be prophets and agents of the truth. Consider what Moses said to the people of Israel: ‘Would that all the LORD’s people were prophets, that the LORD would put His Spirit on them!’ (Numbers 11:29). …
“It is not for the timid or faint of heart. The same can be said for us in our time. Like being a prophet in the time of Elijah, it requires toughness and courage to be a true follower of Christ in our generation. It is not for the timid or faint of heart. The good news is that God makes His power available to us. Our task is to believe, do the work, and walk in His strength. … The Lord is calling!” (Tim Knight)
Questions
What is your answer to God’s call, for His perfect will to be manifested in your life? Meditate on 2 Timothy 1:7 and Joshua 1:9.
Prayer
High School Engage Trip
Pray for our students and leaders to grow closer to God and to each other during this trip. Lord, help them to be open to learning about each other in the same way that they seek to learn about and get closer to those from Maui. We pray that through these experiences they will grow closer to God permanently.
Friday
Read 1 Kings 18:4-41
Lectio Divina (“Divine Reading”)
The ages-old practice of Lectio Divina enables the reader to be personally and powerfully immersed in Scripture, preparing believers to be better used of God. Using the following steps, spend time with the theme verses for this week.
- Reading: Read the passage slowly and carefully in the Bible.
- Meditation: Think deeply or dwell upon a spiritual reality within the text. Is there a word or phrase that God is impressing on your heart?
- Prayer: Have a loving conversation with God, placing an emphasis on listening.
- Contemplation: Rest in God’s presence. What does God have for you in this time?
- Action: Go and do what God has empowered you to do with this newly found appreciation of the Scripture.
Questions to ponder, as you consider this week’s featured Scripture:
How has your heart changed this week?
Do you have a fresh perspective of God’s Word?
Do you know who you are in God and have confidence in this?
Do you feel less alone?
How important is it to you to worship God and obey
His commands?
What steps are you taking to let God’s Truth change your heart, mind, body, and soul?
Are you taking time to sit and listen to God’s “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12, KJV)?
Reflect further upon the following passages, using the Lectio Divina steps shared above:
- Exodus 14:14
- 1 Kings 19:11-13
- Psalm 37:7
- Psalm 46:10
Be prepared to offer the Truth to Power.
Prayer
High School Engage Trip
Pray for these high school students and leaders, not only during this trip, but throughout the balance of their lives. Pray that they become even more intentional about doing God’s will and work for His varied peoples. Lord, help them to learn to be more compassionate, to have more wisdom, to gain increased desire to do God’s will, and to love all with whom they come in contact.
Sources
Tim Knight, “Ten Lessons from the Life of Elijah | Part 1,” August 17, 2022. This article can be found at https://www.acalltoexcellence.com/ten-lessons-from-the-life-of-elijah-part-1/.
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