ELIJAH AND FEAR< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

1 Kings 18, 19:1-3

When Elijah, a prophet in the hand of God approached King Ahab of Israel, he prayed that it should not rain and the rain ceased for three and half years (1 Kings 17:1). Having caused a drought in the land because of lack of rain, he became a fugitive in the land and he fled in the direction of the Lord. He was sought for everywhere in the land but could not be located. When it was time to show up to King Ahab God directed him. At his showing, he did not call for the rain right away but he requested for a Òpower paradeÓ between his God and the prophets of Baal. It was a show and demonstration of power on Mount Carmel. Elijah wanted to humiliate Baal worshipers, their prophets and the Baal god itself. He wanted the children of Israel to answer if the Lord is God. The Baal prophets failed and could not live up to the task of demonstrating the fact that their god was a living God. The name of the Lord was exalted and lifted high among the people because the God of Elijah, the One and only true God, answered by fire. At this juncture, Elijah requested that the Baal prophets be rounded up, seized and executed. Elijah was operating without fear. At the time when Jezebel heard all that Elijah had done, ÒThen Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, ÒSo let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.Ó(1 Kings 19:2) Jezebel the wicked wife of King Ahab threatened the prophet Elijah, which God has used, mightily. Elijah did not just receive the message but he saw it as real because the Bible declared that, ÒAnd when he saw that, he rose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.ÓÓ (1 Kings 19:3)  One would not have thought that a prophet like Elijah would run away at the threat of a kingÕs wife. Despite all that God did through Elijah, he could not wait to hear from God before running. Elijah ran from the wicked queen after demonstrating power of God a number of times because he saw the threat as being there. How are you receiving news that comes your way? Elijah proved that it does not matter the level at which you operate in the hand of God. If you begin to see negative as being there it will end up causing you to neglect faith for fear. Elijah did not wait for the word of the Lord before running. Fear does not have respect of whom to approach or not to approach. How do you respond when fear comes? Determination will fail but the grace and mercy of God will not fail you except if you fail yourself.