1 Kings 18:21 NKJV
21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people
answered him not a word.
Romans 5:5 NKJV
5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
As we continue our series on hope I am being renewed in my thinking, I must say. I pray that God is doing the same thing for you as you journey with us. I was awakened by the Lord from my sleep, and He spoke to me saying " Hope is not Hidden." I was curious to know what that meant immediately he pointed me to Elijah and said: " Elijah set up that altar with confidence." I thought to myself what are you telling me, God? After searching the Word and preparing my sermon for the church, I realized a few things about that passage. Please refer to the link above that contains the whole story - it's an awesomely rich story full of wisdom and truth.
I read verse 20 I cringed and thought to myself Lord I see where you are going here. I think we are all guilty of hearing God promise us something and when in the face of impossibility we start to back peddle on our faith. It goes from:
"Yes Yes, Lord Amen!" to " I hope you can do it" or " Either way God I will be happy,"
These are not confessions of eternal hope in our Father who specializes in the impossible. Why do we expect God to not show up? Why do we "hope for the best and prepare for the worst" as they say? God instructed Elijah to set the altar in a way that there was no way it could be lit on fire. A dry altar places a natural demand on man to light it on fire, He created a situation that put a supernatural demand on Heaven to show up and perform a miracle. Elijah did not set up that altar wondering in his heart " Hmm I wonder if God is going to show up? I sure hope He does not make me look like a fool."
Elijah had been in some places with God, he was fed by a raven and a brook in the wilderness. He moved on and raised a dead child back to life by the power of God. He knew that the same power that raised the widow's son was the same power that would show up for him at that moment and perform another miracle! We need that same confidence in our lives as children of the same God who sets up situations which create a supernatural need for His intervention. Elijah moved by faith, and that faith was produced by his HOPE!
Let us not be like the children of Israel going back and forth in our belief about specific areas in our lives where cannot see how God is going to fix it. In the valley of the dry bones, Ezekiel called on the 4 winds (which represent God's power in the earth) to breathe life on the bones and bring them back to life. This was an impossible task which required supernatural intervention, and Ezekiel's hope and faith! Ezekiel 37 Dry Bones Live! Let us hope in confidence and in the open.
It boils down to the question at the beginning -
"How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.”
Come now in confident hope in the Lord God because we know that they that hope in the Lord will NEVER be disappointed!
Homework:
1. Meditate on these scriptures and search your heart.
2. Find scriptures concerning God's character concerning your situation and pray them over your case. WITH CONFIDENCE
3. Renounce (come out of agreement with) instability in your faith. Make up in your mind today that you will believe in God - no matter what!
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