So Elijah got up and went down to the king.

 

Saturday, October 14, 2023


Psalms 108; 109:20-30

2 Kings 1

Matthew 12:38-50


So Elijah got up and went down to the king.


Life is filled with things we would rather not do. When the car pulls up at the grocery store, the child begs to be able to stay in the car, and supposes that one day when they grow up perhaps they will understand the appeal such a place has for the adults.


Elijah has passed on the prophecy that he had been given; he thought he had been done with all this sorry business of proclaiming the king’s imminent death. And so he sits on the mountain, doing what any man of God loves to do most: pray. Hundreds of soldiers are sent to bring him back to the palace to prophecy in person, but isn’t he done with all this? So he waits for God to give him the go ahead, and finally agrees to be escorted by the third division of troops.


Leaving something off because we would rather not do it can make us feel guilty; such is the low throb of the pain of procrastination. But God does not tell us to instead act rashly, on the spur of the moment. God would have us take our time, but not out of cowardice, or laziness. He has prepared a season for everything; and prayer is what guides us through those seasons.


If there is something we have put off because we don’t like the idea of it, then perhaps we should be stopping and studying ourselves as to why we feel the way we do. God has the answer, and so we should direct those questions about our feelings (and the situation) to God.


The human being is designed in such a way that we work best when we are soaked in prayer. We are made to be with God; going when He says go, stopping when He says stop. This is because He loves us, and knows what is best for us. He wants us to walk in His way, because He is glorified when we follow Him to our benefit. To know the way God wants us to go means to listen to Him; and so we stop, and pray, and tell Him our worries: His angels will be watching over us and tell us when to “go down with the soldiers; don’t be afraid of them”.

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