Outrun

 DEVOTION

1^ST KINGS

OUTRUN

1 Kings 18:40-46

40 Then Elijah commanded them, "Seize the prophets of Baal. Don't let anyone get away!" They seized them, and Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered there. 41 And Elijah said to Ahab, "Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain." 42 So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. 43 "Go and look toward the sea," he told his servant. And he went up and looked. "There is nothing there," he said. Seven times Elijah said, "Go back." 44 The seventh time the servant reported, "A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea." So Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, 'Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.'" 45 Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. 46 The power of the LORD came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

NIV

Although we spent some time rereading the slaughtering of the so-called prophets of Baal and how that relates to those who reject the one true God, the story in this portion of the narrative is all about the power of the Most High God. We recall the word of the LORD that came to Elijah that God would bring no rain to the land. It has been three years since any rain, which caused a great famine in the land, and now Elijah is to present himself before Ahab. After all was said and done, Elijah told Ahab to eat and drink, for there is a sound of heavy rain. This is the famous story of Elijah climbing Mt Carmel and bending with his face between his knees, telling his servant to go check for rain clouds. Seven times, which is not a coincidence, for seven represents God’s perfection and completeness. It was on this seventh time that the servant reported a small cloud the size of a man's fist. That was it, heavy rain was coming. A storm was on the way. That one small sign from God was all Elijah needed. How often do we want a great miracle to prove God’s power? Perhaps in our search for a great sign, we might miss that small cloud the size of a man’s fist off in the distant horizon. We know our thoughts are not His thoughts or our ways His ways, still with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, there are times, not in a big storm, with lighting and large gusts of wind, but rather in that gentle breeze, there is a small voice, an inspiring thought, His thought, His direction, His leading, His power at work within us, and thought us. The word of the LORD came to Elijah, and it can come to us if we are listening. However, the power of the LORD was displayed through Elijah. Ahab climbed aboard his chariot, pulled by what we would imagine to be the best and fastest horses in his realm. Yet here comes the power of God, greater than any power of men. Elijah tucks his cloak, a long type of garment, into his belt, giving his legs the freedom to run, and he outruns a wheeled chariot pulled by horses. It is not difficult to believe a man, filled with the power of God, can outrun horses. Sometimes we may look to solutions to the challenges we face in this life, from the minds of men, books geared to the “How to” of some formula that should help us overcome. We only need to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. We should look for the power of God to be at work for us, within us, and through us. With the power of God upon Elijah, he outran horses. When we experience the power of God, we can outrun everything else. That would be called being an overcomer. As the power of the Most High God overshadows us, we can outrun anything in this world. We can be faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive. Look in the church; it is the power of God causing us to outrun the world.