The Lord is About to Pass By

This phrase sounds odd considering that God is everywhere, all the time. Omnipresent is our God. Present everywhere at the same time is our God. Yet, God is about to pass by. What could this possibly mean? 

Allow me to give the context. Israel, God’s people were bound by the rulership of Ahab. He, according to scripture, did evil as King, in the sight of the Lord more than any of the Kings before Him (1 Kings 16:30). Though his sins were many, he escalated by marrying a woman who worshipped another deity. His wife, Jezebel was a worshipper of Baal. Scripture says that his leadership goals were to get God’s people to turn towards other deities and to forsake the Lord. 1 Kings 16:33 says Ahab did more to provoke the anger of God than all the other kings before him. 

The entire time Ahab is leading the nation into rebellion and sin against God, there were still prophets in the land who were speaking out against Ahab’s policies and practices. Remember that God will not leave Himself without a witness. The prophets of God were not very popular because they declared Ahab’s policies and actions to be in violation of God’s commands. It was a very tense time in Israel for the prophets of God. But it was also very tense for the nation of Israel. 

It was tense for the prophets of God because the voice, policies and plans of Ahab were in the ears and eyes of everyone in the land. Everyday the prophets of God had a choice to make, either continue to remain loyal to God or become an echo of the prophets who served Baal. It was tense for Israel because they were being led into idolatry as a nation. 

God had lots of prophets who still remained loyal but the one He chose to confront this national idolatry was Elijah. The confrontational exchanges between Elijah and Ahab escalated with each message sent by God. By the time we get to Chapter 19 in 1 Kings, Elijah has completed his prophetic assignment of proving that the Lord is the only true God. 

The Mount Carmel showdown proved that Elijah’s God was the only true living and all-powerful. It was to settle the issue of worship. Was the God of Israel worthy of worship? Or was the Baal worthy of worship? As profound and dramatic the showdown at Mount Carmel was, we need to remember that the scene had been set years before through a drought. It had not rained for years and people knew God had shut up the heavens at the Word of His prophet Elijah (1 Kings 17:1-2). 

All of these years have passed and there has been no rain at all and the prophets of Baal can’t get a drop of rain to fall. God was already in the process of demonstrating His sovereignty and power. After God uses Elijah to prove His point and rids the nation of Baal’s false prophets, Jezebel sends messengers to Elijah announcing that she plans on killing Him. Elijah, knows his life is in jeopardy but he doesn’t know the full picture that God still has prophets who have remained loyal. 

With this context in mind, Chapter 19 tells us that Elijah’s emotions have been overtaken by fear. Fear, anger and hatred are a few of the ungodly emotions that can overtake us. Being overtaken by fear, Elijah fled for his life. Elijah went into the wilderness. No one else knew where He was, but God was present with Elijah. God sent an angel to Elijah a couple times to make sure he had eaten and to send him to his place of appointment. That place of appointment was at an opening in a mountain. You see, Elijah had fled because of fear but he could still hear God. 1 King 19:9 says that the Word of the Lord came to Elijah and told him to stand on the mountain because the Lord was about to pass by. 

God is omnipresent, always everywhere at the same time. 

That’s first, but second is that Elijah may have been in fear but fear had not hindered his ability to hear God. Just as Elijah heard the Word of the Lord ask him why he was in the wilderness, he could have heard anything else God chose to say to him. All of the instructions Elijah received as he stood on the mountain, as he waited for God to pass by, he could have also just heard God speak to him. 

Why would an omnipresent God decide to pass by his accurately hearing prophet? 

God chose to pass by so that He would get Elijah’s attention beyond the method that Elijah always expected. God is speaking but unlike Elijah, we are not always hearing God when He chooses to pass by. God chooses to capture our attention using different methods. 

Verse 12 says Elijah finally heard God. Elijah heard lots of loud sounds but he never moved until he heard God in a still, small voice (sheer silence). Elijah’s trained ear had served him well. It was only at this point did he move towards the front of the cave in order to see God pass by. Remember the context at the time of Elijah’s work or partnership with God as His prophet. King Ahab was leading the nation into apostasy and there were prophets of God who had succumbed to the national pressure and had bowed to Baal. Although God was always communicating and everywhere present, some people and sadly some prophets had bowed to the deity of Baal. 

Today, I’m here to tell you that many of you are about to experience the results of God passing by. Results. Not just God being everywhere all the time. But the results of God passing by some of His prophets whose ears are still finely tuned to the sound of God’s voice. 

God is everywhere at the same time and just like God saw the root cause of the tense circumstances in Israel, God also sees the root cause of all the tension in your/our circumstances. Don’t think for a minute that anyone or anything outwits God. God laughs when nations plot against Him. God laughs when leaders devise plans against his righteousness. God sees and God speaks. 

On this last First Sunday of 2020 during a tense time in the world, I’m telling you that God has passed by some prophets. That good news to all the weary prophets who have felt overwhelmed by the battles of righteousness in an ever- increasing apostate church and society. But its not good news for the Kingdom of Darkness. 

Let those with ears to hear, hear what the Spirit of the Lord is saying. 

I’m not saying God is soon to pass by. No, I’m saying God has already passed by. Chaos between Aram and Israel happened after God had passed by. God had already passed by. Begin to gather yourself as God deals how God sees fit. I’m here to encourage the prophets who remained loyal to God and didn’t sell their voice. To those who never bowed their knee nor adored other deities, I’m here to tell you that you shall do great exploits for the Lord. 

Photo by Pixabay from Pexels 

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