Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Who is your "Hero of Faith" from the Bible? I asked a few pastor friends of mine, "Who, besides Jesus, is your favorite person in the Bible and why?"
"BY FAITH ALONE" -- LIKE ELIJAH (THE TISHBITE)
One of my friends described Elijah's faith as, "One who was so bold to bring the Word of God in a godless time."
Who could forget the amazing showdown on Mount Carmel-- Elijah and the LORD versus the 70 prophets of Baal! Elijah's courage and boldness for the LORD on that day was amazing. By faith alone, Elijah fully trusted in the LORD as fire was sent by God from heaven, vaporizing the flooded bull offering! But under pressure, Elijah's faith faltered. He went and fled, and hid for his life from King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. How could Elijah forget what the LORD had done on Mount Carmel? Maybe the better question is, how could we?
In the deep darkness of the cave and in his mind, the LORD came to Elijah again. Not by fire. Not by earthquake or strong wind. No, the LORD came to Elijah in a "still small voice" (1 Kings 19:12). The LORD came to Elijah with His Word. It was God's Word alone that rekindled a flickering faith in Elijah. It is God's Word that still kindles the fire of faith in you as well. Elijah boldly went out and left his cave of sorrow to carry out the will of the LORD, and to spread His Word and message.
How about you? You and I often find ourselves in our own darkness of sin and depression. We can get lost, like Elijah did, and reside in a dark cave of thinking that God has left us all alone! But by faith alone we trust in God's still small voice. We trust in God's promise of redemption for our sin. We trust in Christ's cross on Mount Calvary, which was His sacrifice that consumed the full fire of God's righteous wrath for our sins. Whether it be Mount Carmel or Mount Calvary, by faith alone, like Elijah we can trust in the faithfulness of the LORD's presence in His still small voice in His Holy Word, the Bible!
Yet as the Law must be fulfilled, Or we must die despairing,
Christ came and hath God's anger stilled, Our human nature sharing.
He hath for us the Law obeyed, And thus the Father's vengeance stayed
Which over us impended.
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 377:5)
