A Special Mission Requires Unique Preparation

1 Kings 17:1-6

 In order to protect and further prepare his servant, God calls Elijah to a season of solitude….     

Solitude is the quality or state of being alone or remote from society: it is a chosen seclusion to be alone with God. The time frame may be brief or extended. The Lord says to all of us, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10). If we are to hear from God, we must periodically come aside, quiet ourselves before Him to hear Him speak. Too many of us think of “quiet time” only as an opportunity to rattling off a list of requests, then rushing off to tackle the business of the day.

Quietness is essential to time alone with God. If we are too busy to sit in silence in His presence, if we are preoccupied with thoughts or concerns about the day, if we have filled our minds all day long with technological interference and aimless chatter, we are going to have difficulty truly listening to the still small voice of God.

You may find that late night or early morning presents an ideal time of solitude and quiet for you. A noonday walk in a park may be a time when you can quiet your soul before God. Ask the Lord to reveal to you a time and place where you might turn off the cares and worries of the world long enough to listen to Him. Let’s see what we can learn from Elijah’s season of solitude.

God Prepares Elijah through Solitude…  

When God uses people in special ways to accomplish His purposes in this world, He prepares them well. While college, internships, and books are great tools, God has a few truths He wants to empress upon us directly. Oftentimes this kind of learning involves experiences that generate feelings of isolation, rejection, and loneliness. But always, this preparation is tailored and designed just for the person involved. God knows in exact detail what we need to get ready to face the challenges that lie before us! (Getz, G.)

THE DESERT EXPERIENCE OF MOSES

Exodus 3:1, Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.  

This was true of Moses! He spent forty years in isolation on the backside of the desert after his prominent forty years in Egypt. Though he did not realize it at the time, God was preparing him for the greatest task any human being would ever face-the challenge of leading the children of Israel out of Egypt.

Later Moses received the Ten Commandments from God the second time during a period of elected seclusion. God directed him to this occasion and disclosed incredible truths, realities, and insights to Moses on the Mount. Indeed, he experienced adventures with Jehovah that remain unrivaled four thousand years later. The seasons alone with the Lord proved to be immeasurably profitable to this man of God and the nation he loved.

Ex 34:1–3, And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest. 2 And be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me in the top of the mount. 3 And no man shall come up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount.

Beloved, desert experiences can be just as adventurous and revealing for us as well. Explore such opportunities as often as practical; it is a meaningful facet of our ministry preparation as well.

THE PRISON YEARS OF JOSEPH

Genesis 39:20-23, And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.

    [21] But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. [22] And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. [23] The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.

Joseph spent a number of years in an Egyptian prison before he was promoted to be prime minister. Without those difficult and lonely prison experiences and the rejection he felt, Joseph would never have been ready for the task God designed for him.

No doubt, some wonder why God would allow such hardship to befall his choice servants…. Simply stated challenging missions require equally arduous preparation to ensure success. The US Navy Seals engage in extraordinarily demanding drills because their missions are nearly impossible. They must not only be physically tough but mentally strong as well. Likewise, God takes us to and through impossible challenges to build us into tenacious spiritual warriors who refuse to quit on his plans.

THE APOSTLE PAUL ALONE IN ARABIA

Galatians 1:14-18, And profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers. [15] But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, [16] To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: [17] Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. [18] Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days.  

After his conversion and initial ministry in Damascus (Acts 9:19-20), the apostle Paul spent three lonely years in Arabia. Paul gave himself to study, prayer, and meditation, and met with the Lord Jesus alone. God was preparing him to become the greatest missionary who ever preached the Gospel.

Prior to his conversion, Paul was a Pharisee and rising star in Judaism. His confidence rested in his achievements, the Law of Moses and the rigid traditions of his fathers. He did not have a heart for a world of sinners nor a Messiah for all humanity. By his own confession, he was arrogant and insensitive to others’ needs (see Phil. 3:44). Without his “backside of the desert” experience, Paul could never have become the man God wanted to use in a special way to reach Gentiles for Christ. The time alone with Christ was necessary.

THE LORD JESUS’ YEARS OF OBSCURITY

Luke 2:51-52, And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. [52] And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

Luke 4:1-2, And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, [2] Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.

Even our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Savior of the world, spent thirty years in obscurity before entering a public ministry. His forty days in the wilderness was a final touch to prepare Him to face the lonely road which lay ahead and which resulted in the cross. (Getz, G.)

In addition, it was our Lord’s habit to secure time alone with his Father; he greatly desired the Father’s company and fellowship.

Matt. 14:23, And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. 

Lk 5:15–16, But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. 16 And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.

Mt 17:1–3, And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.

Lk 22:40–42, And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. 41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, 42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

Jesus routinely, found ways to escape to his Father in Heaven and he occasionally invited some of his followers to enter into these blessed experiences with him. As a result, they were advanced in their personal walks with the Lord and introduced into a richer and special fellowship.

Beloved, time spent in an obscure ministry is not a waste of life, talent, education, or resources if you are where God called you. I know we all want to be successful in our endeavors for our Lord, but part of spiritual success is knowing God’s plan and doing it. The results are his concern; it is our part to abide in the Vine (Jn. 15:1-8). By faith recognize that God schedules slower and lighter periods for us to give space for more time with Him. It’s a precious opportunity…seize it instead of fretting about results and man-made metrics! God wants to prepare you for something extraordinary in the future.

It should not surprise us that God was doing something special in Elijah’s life in preparing him for what was yet to come. Beloved, like these other unique servants of God and our Lord Jesus Christ, Elijah needed this unusual preparation.

Even though Elijah was at times fearful, lonely, and lacking in faith, he consistently delivered God’s message to that generation of Israelites. He led his people to return to the true and living God, and diminished the influence of idolatry in his day. Such extraordinary accomplishments require time alone with God down by the brook Cherith.

We too must commit to the time necessary for reading, prayer, listening and meditation; it also would help to have a place of solitude, where you can meditate and worship uninterrupted. Identify the time or season and put it on your calendar as an appointment. Guard this appointment and explore the wonder of fellowship with the Most High.

Furthermore, entertainment and technology present serious challenges to solitude with God. Simply by occupying our minds so that we cannot think about God, television and radio does considerable damage. Seriously, we do not have enough wholesome solitude (not to be confused with the seclusion encouraged by the various types of personal electronic entertainment products). We cannot persist with a pathetic shallow acquaintance with God! We must put down the smartphones, close the laptops, stow the tablets away, and turn off the television for the same reasons. These are the “distractions” that we must silence to quiet ourselves before the Lord.

We must begin with Scripture reading, prayer, meditation, Scripture memory, Bible studies and listening quietly in the presence of the Lord. Activities that mature the person, enlarge the soul and refine the gifts God has given us satisfy and give joy to life.

Media and entertainment, while not all bad, tends to develop nothing within. They merely occupy the mind while time passes, and often does so in a way that militates against Christian values. Turning off all the media for a season may seem impossible or undesirable, but remember, you will come to love these holy disciplines if you give yourself to them. I recall fasting without television for an entire month in preparation for a revival meeting. Instead of watching more TV my wife and I studied the Word more and engaged the Lord in transparent conversations. God was faithful to hears us, meet with us and bless us. Our minds and spiritual sensibilities were sharpened and heightened. Our appetites for holy things were wetted…even soaked; Jesus came to mean so much more to us.