October 15, 2021
“And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”” —I Kings 17:1 NKJV
Before Elijah could stand before the king, it was necessary for him to stand before God. He couldn’t do the former without first doing the latter. Elijah bursts upon the scene in this dramatic confrontation with the wicked king; we know nothing about him prior to this encounter except what he himself said: “I stand before God.” This was the source of his power and authority, as it is for anyone today who desires to speak with power to authority. Many there are who claim to do this, but their claims are fraudulent because attempting to stand before power always fails if one hasn’t first stood before God.
Whether one stands before the powers of this world or merely ordinary men and women, standing first before God is the secret to power. Even after more than fifty years of preaching, it makes me nervous to stand in the pulpit. Holding in my hands the Word of Life is a serious responsibility, impossible to do apart from time first spent in the presence of God.
May God give us more men and women who will stand before him in holy surrender! Then, and then only will we have servants who are able to stand before the world with genuine Holy Spirit-fueled fire and power.
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