As a staff we have been studying Elijah using Priscilla Shirer’s study on the prophet. This study is life-changing, and we’d like to share some of the nuggets of wisdom that we are learning.
We are learning that Elijah was a man just like us. This hero of the Old Testament struggled with depression and doubt. He experienced hunger and thirst. He had emotional ups and downs. Just like us. So, while he hears directly from God, he speaks God’s word to the most powerful people in the country, and that word is not anything they want to hear.
“…Elijah’s limitations, weaknesses, and emotional quirks didn’t scare God off or disqualify him from serving God in a mighty way. God knew all these tendencies in Elijah. He factored all of them into the unique plan He’d designed for Elijah’s life. He didn’t ignore His prophet’s needs and neuroses. He worked with them. He made use of them in showing His care for Elijah as well as showing what He can accomplish in each of us despite our human imperfections.”
Elijah: Faith and Fire, Priscilla Shirer, p. 20
In today’s culture we don’t set up an idol and bow down to it. However, we let the world and all its many forms of entertainment (or stress) rob us of quality time with our Creator. In essence, we spend more time on our phones, watching television, reading, playing, and so forth than we do in glorifying the one who made us. God knows us, and He will work miracles with what we surrender to Him.
We have been challenged by this study to put down some things that distract us and move forward on habits that will free us up to give God true worship.
“The judgments of God exacted on ancient Israel are a reminder to us that any consequences we endure today are never about the consequences alone. They are designed to underscore the importance of our idols, debunk the myth of power, and remind us that God alone is worthy of our loyalty and worship. Whenever we anchor our significance unwisely, putting our trust in health, success, material wealth, or relationships, thereby turning them into illegitimate gods, our Father will cut them off at the knees and remind us of their insufficiency to save.”
Elijah: Faith and Fire, Priscilla Shirer, p. 45