Double Lock-down!

The much spoken and discussed word now a days is “lock-down” due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As much as this season has brought a lot of inconveniences to our normal life, there are many benefits and positive lasting effects upon millions of people. Many are not very pleased with the extended lock down announced by the governments and health authorities and all are waiting for the lifting off of the restrictions.

The Bible has several mentions of people being “locked down” and the various experiences and encounters they went through during those seasons. I would like to refer to the incident of an Old Testament prophet of God, Elijah, who had a double lock-down experience and certain lessons we can learn and survive our current situation. We will examine the book of I Kings Chapters 17 and 19. Let us observe the following from these chapters:

1. A God-imposed Lock-down. (1 Kings 17:1-16). The nation of Israel under their new king, Ahab, has turned their backs to Jehovah and began to serve foreign gods including Baal. The king has set up an altar of Baal in Samaria, and made a wooden image and did more to provoke the Lord God Jehovah (1 Kings 16:32-34). But God has prepared His prophet Elijah to challenge the nation and its head and made a strong warning that there will be no dew or rain until he says. So the heaven is locked by God Himself, that it will not give rain to cultivate the earth.
2. Sin locks down people in a spiritual bondage; people are bound, oppressed and tormented by Satan. Loss of meaning for life, lack of joy and permanent peace, ignorant of the eternal destiny and plan of God for man.

The Lord commanded Elijah to go and hide near the Brook Cherith (17:3). This isolation is imposed by God Himself so that the prophet is safe and that God’s further plans through him will be revealed step by step. During this social distancing and isolation period, Elijah was supplied food and water supernaturally. From Cherith, he was commanded by God to shift to Sarephath and meet a widow and stay with her household. There again the Lord provided for and  sustained the prophet and the widow and her household who were facing death supernaturally, and even a miracle of raising the widow’s son after him being dead.

• God’s lock-down of his chosen ones are to glorify His name through them and to reveal His Supremacy in a world that has provoked him to anger and neglected Him. God still speaks and intervenes though he allows a lock-down for His chosen people.
• A Self-imposed Lock-down (1 Kings 19:1-18). When we come to Chapter 19, we see Elijah running for his life due to a threat from Jezebel, Ahab’s wife, who was furious of hearing the execution of the prophets of Baal by him. He has reached the deserted area of Beersheba and prayed that he might die. There the angel of the Lord appeared twice and offered a jar of water and coal -baked cake and encouraged him to go forward. But Elijah remained in a cave, locked down with a self-pity, and a little pride. But God spoke to him in a still small voice and conveyed a message of future mission and mandated him to arise and move on to fulfil the mission of anointing two kings and a prophet.(19:15,16).
• We may isolate ourselves unnecessarily due to our own low self-esteem, feeling of inadequacy, boredom, negative words spoken over us by others, and unreal fear. While God has a shift and a lift prepared for you, nothing should allow you to be locked down.   
• Our self-imposed lock-down days are opportunities for God to have an encounter with us to challenge and prepare us for the next great achievement and adventure in God for our life’s purpose and for the glory of God.

Elijah’s double lock down can teach us many lessons and be prepare us to survive the lock down weeks now. May the Lord speak to us and teach us to trust Him more and rely upon His provision in times of need and His supernatural intervention to take us through the COVID-19 pandemic. Jesus never fails.

God bless you.

Pastor Joe Kurian