OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL-SUNDAY-02/10/2016-THE BLESSING OF SOLITUDE II-BY PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
THE BLESSING OF SOLITUDE II
Memorise
Elias was
a man subject a like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might
not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six
months. James 5:17
Read
1st
Kings 19:9-18;
9 And
he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, what
doest thou here, Elijah?
10 And
he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord
God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant,
thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I
only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
11 And
he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord
passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in
pieces the rocks before the Lord;
but the Lord was not in the wind:
and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord
was not in the earthquake:
12 And
after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord
was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
13 And
it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and
went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a
voice unto him, and said, what doest thou here, Elijah?
14 And
he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord
God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant,
thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I
only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
15 And
the Lord said unto him, Go, return
on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael
to be king over Syria:
16 And
Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the
son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.
17 And
it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu
slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay.
18 Yet I
have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto
Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.
KJV
MESSAGE
Other blessings of solitary living include
divine authority, divine revelation and divine direction. In our memory verse
for today, we read that Elijah was a man who possessed divine authority that
controlled the weather. He commanded rain to cease and it was so; when he felt
it was time to release the rain, he commanded it to start falling and it was
so! .The Bible says in 1st
Kings 17:1:
“And Elijah the
Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God
of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these
years, but according to my word.”
This did not come by careless and flamboyant
living. This authority came as a result of solitary living and a separated
life. We can understand this by what God said to Elijah in 1st Kings 18:1:
“And it came to pass
after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year,
saying, go, show thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.”
It took instruction from God before Elijah
could show himself to Ahab. He had been in solitary confinement ever since he
made the proclamation of the drought. Some Christian ministers would want to be
seen everywhere, at every public function and yet they want authority, they
want divine revelation and direction. They dine and wine with the elites in the
society and yet they want to exercise divine authority. It does not work like
that. Elijah said, “As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand…”
Children of God, pastors, where are you standing? Before God or in the crowd?
In the reading of today’s Bible text, it is
amazing to know that not only spiritual but also physical encouragement came to
Elijah during his solitary time with God. Through this divine physical
provision, the Bible says that he travelled for forty days and forty nights
without eating anything else. One lesson we must quickly grasp here is that God
is interested in our physical and spiritual well-being. It is a pity that some
Christians spiritualise so many things at the detriment of their physical
well-being. Imagine God saying, “Arise and eat; because the journey is too
great for thee.” This divine consideration came because Elijah took time to be
alone with God. One other lesson we must learn is that still in his solitude.
Elijah was visited by God and he was able to lodge his complaint against the
society he was living in and consequently he was told what to do. We receive
divine instruction when we are alone with God. Our misconceptions about life
situations will receive clarification and better understanding when we are
alone with God. The Bible says:
“The secret of the
Lord is with them that fear him; and he will show them his covenant.”
Psalm 25:14
Unknown to Elijah that he was not the only
prophet standing for God, he wanted to die. However, he was told what God
Himself had preserved seven thousand prophets who had not corrupted themselves!
What a revelation and a lesson. Never think you are the only one keeping the
bound of holiness, there are others unknown to you. So don’t give in to the
deceit of Satan. God will never change and He will never lower His standards.
God bless you as you continue with God in holiness.
Prayer Point
Father, the grace to
be separated unto you, not following the multitude, please give to me.
Bible in one year
Ezekiel 28:1-30:19,
Psalms 72
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