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Come Out of Hiding!

9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.And the word of the LORD came to him:
"What are you doing here, Elijah?"
I Kings 17:9

Well look, the "Great" Elijah in the cave. A prophet of God is hiding from Jezebel. Elijah wanted to die. Doesn't the New Testament tell us that Elijah was like the rest of us? Sometimes when people have done great things or have been used greatly by God I tend to think of them as superhuman. But, here's the proof that Elijah was like me. There have been times when I've wanted to be in cave or craved a quick end to my existence because the future just looked so bleak. I prayed to God just take me, and end this for me because no matter how hard I pray nothing seems to be going right. Two times in this passage God asked Elijah what he was doing in that cave.

When God has a job for us to do God doesnt expect us to go hide out in a cave. However God was and is merciful. God told Elijah to go back the way that he came. Go back to the desert. God then gave him three tasks to complete. Elijah had three anointings to do. Elijah was to anoint two kings and one prophet. God also heard Elijah's distress and loneliness in thinking he was the only faithful prophet left in Israel. Therefore God sent Elijah a new companion, Elisha and let Elijah know 7,000 others had not bowed to Baal either. Instead of answering Elijah's exit prayer God sent His word to remind Elijah that God was in charge and to keep going. This was not the time for Elijah to live in a cave. In our day it's not time for us to withdraw either. We need to take the message out and keep going and doing God's work.

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