You Are Not Alone

Last night I was reading in the Old Testament and came across a passage that I found very interesting. I was reading in 1 Kings about Elijah. After he performed his great miracle of having a wet sacrifice consumed by fire he by the Lord, he is left alone, fleeing from Queen Jezebel who desires his life. The following exchange happens between Elijah and the Lord. In verse 4 Elijah “… requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life.”  After all that has happened Elijah feels that he has done enough and is ready to call the game finished. Further along in verse 14 we gain some more insight as to why – “I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” He says he has left all alone, that there aren’t any followers of the Lord left and there obviously is nothing left for him to do in the Kingdom of Israel. This seems reasonable, at this point what is left for him to do, he’s been standing up to the King and Queen of Israel who want him dead and no one else has been standing by his side. However in verse 18 the Lord tells him “Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel”. What a difference between Elijah feeling like he’s the only one left and the Lord telling him that there are 7000 people in Israel who have been faithful followers of the Lord this whole time!

This passage impressed me. How often do we feel alone or abandoned, thinking maybe what we’re doing has no value or will never be enough? I think more than ever at these times we need to turn to the Lord and realize that we are not alone. Even if it seems we’re the only one fighting for the right, we need to realize that there are likely thousands of others who are quietly living out their own lives of devotion and that we are not alone.