1 I ask, then, has God rejected his own people, the nation of Israel? Of course not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a member of the tribe of Benjamin.2 No, God has not rejected his own people, whom he chose from the very beginning. Do you realize what the Scriptures say about this? Elijah the prophet complained to God about the people of Israel and said, 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”
4 And do you remember God’s reply? He said, “No, I have 7,000 others who have never bowed down to Baal!”
Others
I wish we had time to tell the story of Elijah. It’s an incredible story. He stands up to false prophets and God faithfully demonstrates his power. He fears for his life and flees into the wilderness because of the threat of a woman. He cries out for God to kill him because of how miserably he is. And he learns that while he thought he was alone, there were actually 7,000 others standing up just like him. (You can read Elijah’s story here.)
Have you ever felt like you were totally alone? Like you were facing a battle without anyone else supporting you. It’s true that Elijah did stand alone in his battle with the Prophets of Baal. But he wasn’t alone. And it wasn’t just God who was standing with him. Again, there were 7,000 others. Why didn’t they reveal themselves directly to Elijah? We don’t know. But I have no doubt that God instructed them to stay in the background. Perhaps God wanted Elijah’s faith to shine as he stood alone.
The point I making is this: you’re not alone. And it’s not just God who stands with you. There are others. Sometimes we don’t see them. Sometimes we take for granted that they are there. Sometimes there is a reason they are not revealed at the time you think they should be. But they are there.
I often here people share their story of coming into relationship with God. Many times, they discover after that someone was praying for them. A family member, a friend, maybe even a stranger. People were there, supporting them, even though they thought they were alone.
A friend of mine was doing missionary work in Russia. One night, my daughter felt prompted to pray for him. I sent him a note the next day to let him know that we had prayed for him and hoped all was well. He replied later that day and told me how the night before he was having trouble at a border crossing. It looked like he was going to be arrested. And then, suddenly, he was released. We figured out the time zone changes and realized that at the very moment he was released, my daughter was praying for him. He was not alone.
In the midst of your trials and struggles. Don’t ever buy into the idea that you’re alone. Yes, God is with you. But there are others as well. You may not see them. You may not realize they are there. But they are.
My prayer: Thank you, Lord, that you have not called us to do this journey alone. In fact, it is your plan that we are not only in relationship with you, but with each other. We are called to live this journey together. Even when I feel alone, help me to not give in to those feelings. They are a lie. I am never alone. Thank you for that truth. Amen.
Until tomorrow.
