Yet this same believer may find himself in lack at times. The Christian learns early in his faith walk that by pursuing the Lord first "all these things will be added to him" (Matthew 6:33). Instead, he seeks to obey his master's voice and pursue the concerns of his kingdom. ![]() Such people have everything they need to speed ahead out of the rain and keep themselves comfortable at all times.īut the servant of God doesn't seek those things primarily. As we look at the world's standard of success we see impressive "chariots" and "stallions." These are the means, the material wealth, that provide people with ease and security. Of course, to a Christian, the chariot lifestyle can have great appeal. The chariot lifestyle is nice because we have access to all the resources we need for whatever we want. If we want to do something we go ahead and do it. If we need something we write a check for it. Today there's a certain "chariot lifestyle" - one of comfort and ease, where all our needs are provided. They signify the power to speed ahead with great agility, the ability to accomplish something through a powerful, dominating resource. In Elijah's story, chariots represent the strength of man. It excelled in warfare because of its vast fleet of iron vehicles made for swift movement in battle. Throughout the Old Testament, chariots played a central role in the economy. God has an important message for his people through Elijah's story. But you'd better hurry in your gleaming chariot, or you'll get stuck in the mud. Elijah was telling the king, in effect, "I'll meet you in Jezreel. ![]() The prophet sent his servant, Gehazi, to deliver a message to King Ahab: "Go up, say to Ahab, ' Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you'" (1 Kings 18:44, my italics). He cried, "Here it is! God has answered my prayer." It was a tiny cloud, no bigger than a person's fist. As Elijah lifted his head he saw a small formation in the distant sky. We desperately need fresh rain to fall on the dry land. Elijah was saying, in essence, "Lord, I'm shutting out the world around me because I need a word from you. What did Elijah do during his confusing time of need? Scripture says he covered his head with a cloak. You listened to tapes, sought counsel from your pastor, kept praying. But then you needed something desperately and you prayed for it. At times you've known great victories in Christ. Maybe you're familiar with this experience. He prayed again, and again, and again, and still no cloud appeared. But there was no evidence of a response from God. As he sat praying on the mountaintop, Elijah looked out to see if his cry was being answered. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah prayed for rain to come upon the drought–ravaged land. Elijah was seeing amazing things from heaven being supplied to his life and ministry. ![]() God had given his prophet a powerful victory. He had singlehandedly confronted the 400 prophets of Baal and defeated them.
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