Yesterday we finished our reflection by asking a question. “Do you want to understand how Elijah was able to walk so closely with God?” It’s a question that every Christian should be asking themselves on a regular basis? So much of the way that we live life is determined by the way that we want to control the things we’re involved in and the things that we do. But when you look at a great prophet like Elijah we realise that he was driven by a determination to understand God’s call upon his life and to be totally obedient to that call.
The stand out verse for me today in the reading is 1 Kings 19:11, which says, “ The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” For me that’s at least part of the answer to the question about how we walk as closely to god as Elijah did. Elijah spent time in God’s presence. He listened for the opportunities God was presenting him with and he took them as and when he was able to.
The rest of the passage shows that God was beginning to put Israel back on track and that He was lining up a successor for Elijah but we are given this delightful insight into the life that Elijah led with God. We learn in v.4 that he prayed – no big surprise there you might say - but in all things he listened to God and did what he was called to do.
If that’s it I don’t know about you but I want to do more of that!
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Heavenly Father, I pray today that You would draw me deeply into Your Holy presence as You did with Elijah. I pray, Father, that You would look beyond my shortcomings, my failures and the things I’ve done that put distance between You and me. Call me into Your presence Father so that I can hear Your voice and know Your touch. Help me to understand Your call upon my life and strengthen me to be obedient to it. Holy Spirit I surrender myself to You, I ask that You would come and fill me with all of heaven’s abundance. Lord Jesus, I thank You that You made it possible for me to pray this prayer and to receive God’s presence. I praise Your holy name. Amen.