Try to imagine the scene. Elijah wakes up one day saying, “Today is the day I’m going to tell the truth to the king?” Somehow Elijah arrives in Samaria, gets into the presence of the king and says, “As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word” (1 Kings 17:1). 

1 Kings tells us of two men. Ahab and Elijah, who two took very different life journeys. I showed you Ahab’s journey, and now I want to show you Elijah’s journey.  

If you find yourself in a hard place at a dark time, do not be surprised at this. This is the way God works. It is true that God raises up men and women who walk on the narrow path. And that is what God did in Elijah. 

Meet Elijah 

Elijah just appears on the scene. We’re not told anything about his father, his mother or his background. We know very little about Tishbe, the place he’s from, but Elijah is God’s man. God brings out his brightest light in the hardest place at the darkest time.  

Try to imagine the scene. Elijah wakes up one day saying, “Today is the day I’m going to tell the truth to the king?” Somehow Elijah arrives in Samaria, gets into the presence of the king and says, “As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word” (1 Kings 17:1). 

We are not told that Elijah spoke to the king in his palace, but that seems like the most natural place. How did he pull this off? There must have been all kinds of security there. I don’t suppose the king was sitting there waiting to welcome visitors. 

One man who is going in a different direction in a darkening culture—where did he find that kind of courage? 

He Stood in the Presence of God 

As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand… (1 Kings 17:1) 

What does it mean to stand before the Lord? Picture the palace as Elijah walks up to Ahab. Around the room there are servants, and they are waiting to do whatever the king commands. 

The driver of Ahab’s chariot stands before him ready to move at his word. 

The waiter stands before Ahab, ready to serve food or drink at the movement of his finger. All around the room the king’s servants stand before him ready at any moment to respond to his direction. 

Elijah looks around the room at the men and women who stand before Ahab, and he says “I stand before the Lord.” To stand before the Lord means to come to the place where you are ready, available, and responsive to whatever he commands you to do. In the darkness, we need men and women who are standing before the Lord. Is that you?

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