Lockdown Experiences of Elijah

Many people are beginning to come out from their homes and isolations more freely since the lifting of the lockdown limitations. Today is the very first time we as a Church are meeting in the sanctuary for worship services after being kept away from each other since early March of this year. I am sure we all have many experiences and testimonies to share: some good and others may not be not so good, but knowing that all things work together for the good of that love God.

We want to examine the lockdown experiences of Elijah, the prophet, and evaluate our own lives and learn certain lessons for our spiritual advancement. We will be checking out 1 Kings Chapters 17 and 19.

1. Elijah Standing (1 Kings 17:1) In confronting King Ahab and to give him the warning from God, Elijah introduces himself in this manner: “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand..”. The whole nation of Israel has led astray and led away by the evil king to bow before Baal a pagan god, Elijah is standing firm and declaring God’s oracles. This was uttered by Elijah just before the lockdown was imposed on him by God. Only a man/woman who is standing before God could stand against the evils of the king and the country. Lockdown was not lying down for believers, but a standing up for God and standing against the enemy of God.
2. Elijah Staying. (17:5)”.. he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith..” Where God leads, he promises to provide. Standing and declaring the Word of God in the presence of King Ahab was for an assignment and after that God has commanded Elijah to stay in a chosen place where he was provided with water and food supernaturally. It was a time to hide from the evil king and stay under the covering and communion of the Lord God Himself. The lockdown may have taught you lessons of closer and supernatural communication and provisions of God. Stay until your lockdown is eased by lifted by the One Who sent you there.
3. Elijah Speaking. (17:11-16) When the time had come for Elijah to leave Cherith and to go to Zarephath to a widow as per God’s command it was a kind of a promotion. There he had to speak into the situation of the widow and the family in the midst of the severe national famine. When he heard the pitiful words of the widow and how she and her son were about to end their lives after having a final meal, Elijah spoke the word to give them hope and a future. It was a positive, creative, authoritative, bin, and jar -filling, increasing, a life-sustaining word that kept the family until the rain came to the land. Lockdown could give us a life building word.
4. Elijah in Supplication (17:19-24).There was a tragedy in the widow’s family, her son died. Now Elijah is still in the lockdown have exercised his faith and trust in the Lord God and sought Him and pleaded for the young man’s life to return to him. God raised the boy supernaturally as a result of Elijah’s supplication. The lockdown season must have developed the depth of your faith and prayer life. A prayer in desperation was heard by heaven and life was restored.
5. Elijah in Self-pity. (19:1-4) A feeling of becoming low in the emotional and spiritual life and a sense of losing the physical stamina is natural for a man who labored so zealously for God.  Now the lockdown has really hit Elijah as he was gripped with fear as a result of a threat from Jezebel, who was furious with him since he has executed 450 of the prophets of Baal. The prophet was lying down and about to give up on life and prayed to God to take his life. The seasons of low and high would be natural to anyone, but one must not give up at such times. The lockdown will be over, and it is temporary. But God’s love, care, and His plans for us will go beyond the current crisis.
6. Elijah being Stimulated. (19:5-14). When Elijah was planning to wind up on his life and mission, the angel came and woke him up and offered him food and drink to keep going forward. He entered a cave and rested there. God has further stirred up and challenged him by questioning why he was in the wrong place. He gave the same excuse as before and told God to leave him alone. Then the Lord spoke to Elijah and given him a new mission that he had to accomplish. How was your lockdown experience? Were you in need of a stirring and a push to be active and to move forward with the work, or project you had to do?
7. Elijah in Service. (19:15-21) We see in these verses that the man with self-pity and was about to give up on life and assignments, is charged up with a new mandate to anoint two kings and a prophet. Restoration of ministry and God-given assignments. For many people, the lockdown must have turned out to be a training season for the advancement of life’s mission. Don’t let the lockdown look down on you and the purpose of God in your life. God was not finished with Elijah yet, neither has He with you! Therefore, in your lockdown lookup. May your experiences be building blocks in your life and mission?

God bless you.

Pastor Joe Kurian.