The Lord Stood With Me

Sometimes fighting the good fight of faith can seem like a lonely war. Considering that the “few” are the ones that are saved, that means that the “many” are not on the side of righteousness (Matt. 7:13-14). In other words, Christians are greatly outnumbered by those in the world. Unless one has the proper perspective and understanding, he can become despondent when faced with such statistics. There is an account in the Old Testament of the prophet Elijah, who mistakenly felt as if he were the last person left who was faithful to God. Let us notice how God handled the situation.

First, it is good for us to know the context of Elijah’s feelings. It was not long after the great encounter with the prophets of Baal, and their subsequent slayings, that Jezebel sought to have Elijah killed. She “…sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time” (1 Kings 19:2). This news was not well received by Elijah. “And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers” (1 Kings 19:3-4). This account helps us to understand that even the most courageous servant of God can allow doubt and mental fatigue to cloud his thinking. Elijah’s depression was so advanced that “…he said, I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away” (1 Kings 19:10). Elijah felt isolated and alone. The same man who had championed the cause of the LORD was now at the point of quitting. If we are not careful, we can fall into a similar way of thinking. We might begin to feel that we have endured enough difficulties. We might get to the point where we wish to leave this world behind. This shows that we are not the first to feel such.

While we might feel sympathy, or empathy, for Elijah, we need to remember that Elijah’s thinking was not correct. He had allowed himself to forget that he was never really alone. When the prophets of Baal were shown to be in error, did Elijah fight that battle alone? Absolutely not! On the contrary, Elijah was aligned with the greatest of allies. He needed to remember how he had cried unto the LORD saying, “Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again” (1 Kings 18:37). He needed to recall how God responded when “…the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench” (1 Kings 18:38). Elijah was not alone! God had been with Elijah through it all. Not only that, but God revealed to Elijah “…I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him” (1 Kings 19:18). Thankfully, God saw fit to include Elijah’s mental and spiritual battle in the Bible. It is there to constantly serve as a reminder that the servant of God is never alone.

Near the end of his life, the apostle Paul wrote an inspired letter to his “son in the faith”, Timothy. At the close of the epistle, Paul revealed how he had endured “much evil” at the hands of a man named Alexander (2 Tim. 4:14). Paul then wrote, “At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge” (2 Tim. 4:16). It might outwardly seem that Paul was left all alone, but that is not so. Paul then stated, “Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion” (2 Tim. 4:17). Paul’s confidence that he was not left alone is further demonstrated when he wrote, “And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen” (2 Tim. 4:18). He knew that if he stood with the Lord, then the Lord stood with him. May it ever be that we who are Christians never forget what the Lord has guaranteed us. It is written “…I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5).
~ Corey Barnette