Live in His Shadow

Elijah walked out of complete obscurity and into the court of the most wicked king that Israel ever had.

Then he courageously declared to King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel, “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word” (1 Kings 17:1 NKJV).

We can imagine what they were thinking: Where did this guy come from? Where did he get the audacity to speak to us in that way? Doesn’t he know who we are? Doesn’t he know what we can do?

The secret of his courage was contained in this phrase: “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand. . . .” Elijah knew who his God was.

The psalmist wrote, “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1 NKJV).

Have you ever tried to walk in another person’s shadow? You must be close to them and in step with them. Elijah was aware of the fact that wherever he was, he stood consciously in the presence of God.

The psalmist continues, “I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust’” (Psalm 91:2 NKJV).

The Bible is telling us we must have an intimate, close relationship with God. But a relationship alone isn’t all we need. We must also dwell in fellowship with God. Some Christians attend church on the weekend where they listen to a message and sing worship songs, but then they live like atheists for the rest of the week.

God wants to be part of our lives. He wants us to dwell consciously in His presence and spend time in His Word, in prayer, and with His people.