Furious Jezebel may have been ‘frothing’ at the mouth with her fists clenched. To say she was livid would be an understatement. Watch out, Elijah! She means business. If her husband King Ahab wimped out, she sure wasn’t going to.
Ahab had the confrontation with Elijah at Mount Carmel in 1Kings 18. God demonstrated that He alone is God and Baal was very much a false god. Baal was as ‘dead as a nit,’ unable to respond to the cries of his worshippers. At the impressive display of God’s power, the people chanted: “The Lord, He is the God!” King Ahab couldn’t deny it. The false prophets were wiped out, and a torrential rain marked the end of a long famine.
The King galloped home to tell his wife, Jezebel, about the embarrassing defeat. “I failed, honey.” She was outraged. With flaming fingers flying furiously over her phone, she texted Elijah, the man of God – sort of. “Elijah, you’ll be dead meat by this time tomorrow!” The transcript of her message went like this:
Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” 1Kings 19:2
Elijah panicked. “I’m a goner!” Then, in a flash, he bolted! With cheetah-like speed, he runs wildly down the road. It’s called running for your life! 
Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs 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 broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” 1Kings 19:3-4
Just 24 hours earlier, this prophet of God fearlessly stood before the wicked King on Mount Carmel. He confronted him with his wickedness and idolatry. God mightily used him to expose the emptiness of the false God Baal. He convincingly proved the might and power of the Almighty God. He took decisive action to wipe out the 450 prophets of Baal. And now – yes, that blur is Elijah at top speed! One brief message from Her Royal Highness and Elijah is running for his life until he collapses under a juniper tree and says to the Lord: “Let me die.”
Dear Child of God, have you had a spiritual high? A mountain peak of Christian experience when you sensed the very presence of God? The closeness and intimacy and spiritual energy were very real! Have you had a recent victory over some dark battle? Have you just taken a stand for your Lord against something your friends were doing? But today is different. The strength is gone. Things couldn’t be bleaker or weaker. You feel you’re going to lose this trial – this battle. It sounds like you’re under your own juniper tree. How’s your math?
Check out the Gospel Video: No Such Thing as a Free Lunch
Get your eyes off yourself and focus again on your God. Elijah had his math wrong that day. He was only seeing two things: the terrifying determination of Jezebel to murder him and his own inability to prevent it from happening. So what was missing in Elijah’s bleak equation? Or, more appropriately – Who was missing?
Have you re-checked your math today?
Walk carefully and closely with the Lord today.
Warmly in Christ,
Peter Ramsay
UPDATED 20 Online Lessons for Brand New Believers Covering the Basics Easy sign-up
Free vehicle magnet 9″X2.5″” (22.5cmX6cm) A quiet Gospel witness. “Let your light shine.” An inoffensive way to help promote the Gospel in traffic and parking lots. Unlike decals, magnets can be removed easily.
Tabernacle 101 Once-a-week-email study – short and to the point.
Automatic Signatures work! If you include www.heaven4sure.com in your automatic email signature, you will increase the number of visitors to the Gospel site. This is particularly relevant if you are in contact with those who do not yet know Christ.
FACEBOOK or social media link to heaven4sure? Links really do work! People are finding the site through such links.