Elijah’s Secret Weapon

A depiction of Elijah from Meyer’s book.

When we find a safe and quiet place, it is sometimes hard to move back into life’s challenges. In 1888, English Baptist pastor and evangelist F. B. Meyer (1847-1929) published a book called Elijah and the Secret to His Power. It was really no mystery at all. The secret was his proximity to God and the prophet’s obedience to his voice.

Commenting on 1 Kings 18, Meyer writes: “After many days the word of the Lord again summoned Elijah to be on the move…It must have been a great trial for him to go; and how great was the contrast that awaited him.”

A chapter before, God sent Elijah out of his own country as it experienced divine judgment in the form of a drought. Here, he found the woman we know as the Widow of Zarephath. God miraculously provided for her and her son and their new houseguest—the prophet of God. But now, he is called back into action.

Meyer describes the livid manhunt initiated by the evil King Ahab as the drought and panic escalated. His messages from God made Elijah a wanted man. The prophet who had found rest and relief would now risk arrest and death. “But he had no alternative but to go. He who had said, ‘Go hide thyself,’ now said, ‘Go show thyself.’”

Meyer notes that Elijah apparently comforted himself with the truth of 1 Kings 18:15 stating: “As surely as the Lord of armies lives, before whom I stand, I will certainly present myself to him today.” (NASB) Ahab was great, but God was greater. Regardless of where he stood, Elijah was always in front of the true and better King.

Sometimes God calls us to seasons of comfort. Sometimes he nudges us into moments that require boldness. There may be great contrast between one situation and another. Regardless, we stand in the presence and power of the true and better King.

What is the secret to your power?