IF WE SEE THINGS, IT IS NOT THE SAME AS WHEN ONE DOES NOT SEE THEM

“And Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.  (3) And he saw, he rose and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba of Judah, and left his servant there”, 1Kings 19:2-3.

Jezabel threatened Elijah's life. Elijah was not a fearing man and fled alone because he saw something, just as we may take from this piece of Scripture. He never feared till then. Now he managed to see something which made him run for his life. I believe he saw God would not stand between him and Jezabel so as to have a way to multiply and add unto her sins. He went away and left his servant there, for he knew he had to have a time alone with God, for he believed his example would be blameful and he did not wish his servant to see that.

He was sad, for many reasons. The main one had been that “the gospel” had not been accepted at all, after so much having been done! He reasoned: “Three years for nothing, so much suffering and dryness and nothing good has come out of it! I am useless, as good as my fathers had ever done!” And he saw then, that God would not stand between him and Jezabel, to protect him, to be able to add unto her sins. God wanted Jezebel’s sin to be great indeed and would not hinder that course of things, since she withstood truth and reality. Any normal person would reason that, since those prophets could not bring any fire down, they were false. But not Jezabel, since those were the ones who kept her in the life she wanted to have and rule with.

Elijah was obedient to the vision by running away – he was not fearful as many may take from this. He was sad God would do that to him, since he could not understand why not. Remember, he sent for Ahab and never sent for Jezabel – he knew something concerning that beforehand and acted upon it. By disregarding her, God meant to upset her even more, for she even ruled her husband. She had her time to repent and refused to do so because she wanted a life to rule all towards her.

If Elijah wished to die, he could have stayed there. Yet, he always chose to be within God’s own will ultimately. He, therefore, ran for his life which was precious unto God; and it is precious to see that the man who wished so much to die, never came to die after all. He who desired to die, ran for his life.

There are times when we see things from God. No Christian can avoid them. If Elijah hadn’t seen whatever he saw, and if we suppose he would simply be led to the desert or somewhere else without knowing what would happen from then on, (for God could easily lead him out of there since he had always been a smart hearer of His Spirit’s movements within him), then his spirit would never be crushed down as it had been that day by having a view and a report of things as they would be instead. It would be better for him emotionally, had he not seen whatever he saw. I recall the words of the Lord Jesus: “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now”, John 16:12; “I shall no longer speak many things with you, for the ruler of this world comes, and he has nothing in Me.  (31) But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father has given Me commandment”, John 14:30-31. These “many things” he was talking about, was as close as those which was shown to Elijah would happen, for the ruler of this world was coming to him as well and would not find a spot in his garment. It was these “many things” which Elijah saw from God.

I really love to hear from God. But today, I just realized there are other ways God has to use to lead us through as well – we do not have to see or hear from Him concerning specific things at all sometimes, for He will be able to lead us, by being and living it within us Himself as if He were us. There is a will the Father has to achieve, salvation for some and a condemnation for many (which will mean preservation for some as well), something about which we may see and say “And it is good”. But because we can’t state “It is good”, God chooses to do it alone. “And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was no one to uphold; therefore My own arm has saved for Me; and My fury upheld Me”, Is.63:5. Can you uphold God once you see things beforehand, knowing you can pray to change that as well and choose rather never to do so? Will God state “there is none to uphold” again? Is it so hard for you to believe God is good after all? Not only convince yourself concerning that, but to know it to be so?

If our hearts will be crushed down because God has plenty time and wants to achieve something which is good at the cost of our time on earth, He will rather choose to do it alone (even if it be in and though us) and lead us into it and let us know concerning it as far as we can bear it. Paul says about his going to prison: “But I desire that you should understand, brothers, that the things which happened to me have fallen out rather to the furtherance of the gospel; (13) so that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places. (14) And most of the brothers in the Lord, becoming confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the Word without fear” Phil.1:12-14 MKJV. And because many people at the time of Paul would preach Christ out of strife and fear, God chose to have Paul set as an example to have these preachers saved as well.

We may be led into it because we must have prayed “God, Thy will be done through my life” and God has heard that prayer, or we may be told about it beforehand as God told Paul things on his way to Jerusalem. Paul could afford to see these things and even so not become obedient to the voices of many a prophet of God, who told him not to go down to Jerusalem. Can you?

Can you still believe God is good when your soul and body is bound to be slaughtered, knowing you are not wrong concerning that issue at all, and neither is God? If you can, then God will have “many things” to tell you about. But if not, and because He has a reward to grant to the faithful still, He might lead you there anyway and tell you nothing about it at all. “The Lord your God is mighty in your midst; He will save, He will rejoice over you with joy; He is silent in His love; He rejoices over you with joyful shout” Zep 3:17. “Truly You are a God who hides Yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior”, Is.45:15.  “He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does Jehovah require of you but to do justice and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God?” Mic 6:8 “You heard and you see it all; and will you not declare? I have shown you new things from this time, even hidden things, and you did not know them”, Is. 48:6. 

We might think and believe God is double-hearted to do so, but, see now at least Christian (at least now this you should SEE for real and understand), that He does so out of goodness alone. Paul was a man whom God could and would tell all those things. In fact, it would cost God but to speak once to Paul concerning it all. Yet, God chose to do it in every city he went to, where prophets were. It was done so, not because of Paul, but rather because of those prophets themselves, for they needed a living example to be holier themselves.

So, if you are able to uphold God anyway, anyhow, keeping your heart singing in jail or during many a hardship, believing Jesus says “It is I!”, then God will tell you many things. But, if your heart is not a believing one, and because He is good, He might not choose to tell you about whatever He is doing so you may yet have your reward ultimately. The third option is to take you from His work and hardships. If you can’t afford to see things, choose always to pray, “Lord, do Thy will and tell me nothing about it. I am sorry I fear hardships and tend to believe You have forsaken me for good once things go apparently wrong; I am sorry You can’t bring good to other people because I fear. It is Your absence that shows that I am lost, not Your presence in trouble”.