The source of my courage
God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1
Read 1 Kings 18:21—24
I know the place of indecision. It is an uncomfortable place. Especially if its root lies in a half-hearted response to God. Elijah’s voice speaks into that: ‘Stop limping. Why give a second’s thought to what is not of God? Why would you slow yourself down like that?’ Yet my greater challenge, reading Elijah’s story, lies in how this story proceeds. Say, like him, I have seen the choice clearly. Say, like him, I have declared for God. How public will I be in that declaration? How defiant? How confident in God? I cannot answer any of these questions from the safety of my evening devotion. I must see how God leads me through the situation he calls me into.
God of Israel, God of Elijah, Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, you have declared all other gods false, all other allegiances null and void. I, who am feeble and timid and easily daunted by even a scowl or a frown, thank you for those before me and around me who have trusted you alone, and been equipped with courage. Thank you for Elijah. Go ahead of me by your Spirit, into each situation you call me to face, as soon as tomorrow. May I live faithfully as a free child of the only God.