Good morning. It’s Friday, February 20th, aka National Love Your Pet Day.

🥳 Congratulations on starting today with God, and thank you for letting us be a part of it.

— 2 Kings 2:11

When we’re introduced to people in the Bible, a lot of the time it begins with their genealogy. With Elijah, we’re never told anything about his family line.

He also doesn’t have his own book in the Bible.

Instead, his story is mainly found in:

• 1 Kings 17 to 19

• 1 Kings 21

• 2 Kings 1 and 2

After that, he’s mentioned in 2 Chronicles, Malachi, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Romans, and James.

And if we had one verse to sum up who he was, it would be this one:

1 Kings 17:1 (KJV)

“And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.”

In this verse, Elijah goes to the king and says there will be no rain. He says, “As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand.” That means he believes God is alive, and he stands in God’s presence.

That sums him up. Elijah was a man who stood before the living God, and because of that, he could stand before anyone else. He answered to God first.

But we’d be doing Elijah a huge disservice if we didn’t mention this.

He never died.

Instead of dying a normal death, God takes him up into heaven in a whirlwind, with a chariot of fire and horses of fire (2 Kings 2:11). The Bible does not say he was about to die or explain why it happened.

What makes this even more interesting is that earlier in his life, Elijah actually asked God to let him die. In 1 Kings 19, after he was exhausted and afraid, he told God he had had enough.

But God did not take his life then. He fed him. Let him rest. Spoke to him. And gave him more to do.

Years later, when Elijah leaves earth, it is not because he asked. It is because God chose to take him.

And that’s Elijah.

When you’re not sure how to pray, A.C.T.S. gives you a simple path to follow: Adore, Confess, Thank, and Ask.

Adoration: Lord, You are the living God before whom I stand.

Confession: Forgive me for wanting to quit when I am exhausted.

Thanksgiving: Thank You for feeding me, resting me, and not giving up on me.

Supplication: Help me stand before You first and trust Your timing, not mine.

In Jesus name, Amen

“The Word Was God” by Tuks Camerata

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See you tomorrow,

Zach | Start With God