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1 Kings 19v1-15a   The Lord appears to Elijah

Galatians 3v23-29   Abraham’s children by faith in Christ, not law.

Luke 8v26-39          Healing a Demon-possessed Man

Lovingly Restored by God.

God is in the wonderful ministry of restoring his people back into relationship with himself.

God’s grace is bigger than our sin.

Is it ever too late for a person to be restored to God?

In the OT

·       Moses was restored after he had murdered the Egyptian and ran away.

·       Jonah was restored after he ran away from God’s will.

·       David was restored after his terrible unfaithful affair with Bathsheba. Though there were serious consequences.

And in the NT:-

·       Peter was restored after he denied Jesus. Also when he walked on the water. And also again when in the dream he refused to consider the unclean as acceptable.

·       Paul was restored after he had persecuted the church.

·       Thomas was restored after refusing to believe.

·       Sinners are restored to God, including the demon-possessed.

·       We are all restored through Jesus Christ.

God is in this ministry of restoring relationships, and that means that we who have been restored in relationship with him are in the restoration ministry as well, being restored and restoring others into loving relationship with God.

Beware of those who seek to do the opposite, through their own inflated egos!

Faithful, dynamic self proclaimed super hero Elijah goes for gold and then runs for his life after being threatened by Jezebel.

I think that Elijah’s victory had gone to his head and he had taken his eyes off God and started to believe that he had won the battle by himself.

It is very dangerous when we start to bask in God’s glory. Pride comes before a fall!

Watch out for the self proclaimed ‘gate keepers of the church’, who have taken upon themselves the responsibility to protect God from sinners. Like Paul, their narrow view can really get in the way of what God is plans for salvation.

Look what Elijah says when the word of the lord came to him and said “What are you doing here Elijah?” v9

Elijah replied “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me.”

This statement is all about what Elijah had done for God, he was totally focused on himself, taken his eyes off God, and was now depressed, defeated and disheartened.

So God shows him the powerful wind, the earthquake, and the fire to restore Elijah’s perspective of who is in power here.

Then he says in a gentle whisper (which is God’s normal approach) as if to say, “Let’s try the question again shall we Elijah.”  “What are you doing here Elijah?” v13.

This time it seems to me that Elijah’s reply has a tone of contrition with it as he covers his face, possibly in shame, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me.”  

I imagine Elijah becomes aware of what he has done as he says the words, as if the ‘Penny drops’. 

God has lovingly and gently restored Elijah’s focus back on to God and away from himself.

Now in v15 God says to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus”.

How often do we need to go back a few steps to the place where we took our eyes off God, and re-align ourselves with him and his will, not ours?

Allow God to gently and loving whisper into your life and be restored!