Wednesday, September 22, 2010

What is reality?

1 Kings 19:18 Yet I will preserve 7,000 others in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal or kissed him!"

One the great acts of the prophet Elijah took place at Mount Carmel where he called down fire upon the altar of Baal and slaughtered 400 prophets of Baal. Once the miracle took place Elijah was forced to flee because Jezebel swore to take his life for what he did.

Elijah went into depression after this event. He fled to the desert and sat under a broom tree and asked God to let him die. He was so discouraged because he felt he was the only godly prophet left in the land of Israel. This is often what happens after God does a significant work through us. Satan comes along and wants to steal what God has done and bring the servant of God down. Satan makes us believe a lie about our situation. This was the case for Elijah.

Elijah's perception was not reality. He thought he was the last of the prophets. He could not see what God was doing. God informed Elijah that there were actually seven thousand of His representatives in the land who had not bowed down to Baal. Now give some thought to that statement. Elijah thought he was the only one left. God says there are 7,000 left! What a discrepancy in perception and reality.

This is often the case for you and I. We look at our situations and conclude based on the circumstances that reality must be this way. But God says, "No, you do not see what I see or what I know or what I am doing. The situation is very different than what you are perceiving."

Be careful not to draw conclusions about your situation that may not be based on truth. God always has a plan for His servants that we may not know about. Ask God to give you His perception of the situation, not yours.

1 comment:

Joyful one said...

Oh, but the importance of that one prophet cannot be ignored. I just finished "Three Cups of Tea" and have started "Stones to Schools." Truly inspiring!!