Cutting Room Floor - Elijah's Boldness

One of the things we learn from the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal is the power of waiting on God’s timing.

Elijah waited on God.

Elijah had pronounced a divinely ordained curse upon the people, and then the Lord sent him into hiding.

He waited in hiding for three years.  Then the word of the Lord came.

It’s safe to assume that Elijah was burdened and broken over the ruin of his nation and the godlessness of the people.  

He was surely enraged over the absolute mockery of God’s name that was occurring among God’s chosen people.

His blood surely boiled at the thought of godless king Ahab ruining the Lord’s reputation among the godless nations and leading God’s people into horrific idol worship of various kinds.

Elijah knew the consequences of a multi year drought on the people of Israel.  He knew the pain they were experiencing as a result of their sin, and he knew the remedy - Repent!

But he waited three years.

How does one sit by and watch His beloved people suffer through such spiritual and physical disaster?  

How does a person hide out while His people are led astray to mute idols?

Elijah knew the way back to blessing for the people, but he also knew for sure that God knew best.

Elijah was patiently waiting on the Lord, because He trusted God.  

It probably seemed to Elijah like a good idea to march up to King Ahab’s throne the day after he announced the drought from God and denounce his idol worship and call Ahab to repentance.

He probably wanted to go on a preaching tour throughout the Israelite cities, calling out the idolatry and explaining to the people that the way to life was to repent.

But Elijah wasn’t carried along by his impulses, he waited on a clear word from God.

If the message you are so eager to deliver for that person is truly from God, then you ought to be equally eager to deliver the message in God’s way at God’s time.

Elijah’s example of waiting three years isn’t meant to be a cookie cutter template for us such that when we have a message for a sinner, we need to wait three years before we deliver it.

Elijah did not wait in hiding because He lacked courage, he waited in hiding because he was led by the clear word of God.

Elijah was not led by emotions or impulses or what he thought was best.  What led Elijah is the word of the Lord.

I don’t know your exact situation, your relationship with that person who is stuck in sin.  I can’t say exactly how long you should wait to say something or how you should say it.

But I do know this - The same God who controlled Elijah’s circumstances controls your circumstances.

The same God who fed Elijah during his three year waiting period will sustain you while you wait.

I know that you don’t have to fix that person through your own wisdom or persuasiveness or having the perfect words, but you can trust that God has a plan to speak and God has the power to change hearts.

God’s plan to bring down the idols of Ahab proved to be more miraculous, more effective, and more glorious than anything Elijah could have dreamed up or schemed up in his own wisdom.

Take a breath.  Look to the word.  And trust God.

It was three years before God used Elijah to confront the sin in Israel.  For you, it may be three hours.  Or three days.  Or three months.

But trust God, and wait on His timing, knowing He is in total control.


Elijah is concerned with God’s reputation as the one true God

Twice in his short prayer, Elijah requests that the people would know Yahweh as the one true God.

He is saddened by the fact that his people are missing out on God, but he is also burdened by the fact that God isn’t receiving right worship.

This motivation reminds me of the John Piper quote:  “Missions exists because worship doesn’t.”

We don’t just go to unreached places with the gospel to rescue people from hell, we go there because people are not worshiping the God of heaven.

God demands worship. God deserves worship.  And God desires worship.  

And when our hearts begin to embrace those realities, we get a zeal and a boldness.

Don’t we often find in our evangelistic efforts that our motivation isn’t that lost people might praise God for His grace, but rather that found people might praise us for our boldness and love?

Elijah’s great concern is not that people ignore him as God’s prophet, his great concern is that people are ignoring God.



Our prayer for others must not include a request for our own prominence.  

Our prayer must not be:  God, I really want you to save my son or my friend, but I really want some of the credit.

Your desire for credit in the cause may be part of God’s delayed response.

Ask God to rearrange your heart so that your great concern is the glory and reputation of God, and when that happens, boldness is sure to follow.