Outrunning Chariots

Elijah had just done the miraculous. He had singlehandedly confronted the 400 prophets of Baal and defeated them. God had given his prophet a powerful victory. Elijah was seeing amazing things from heaven being supplied to his life and ministry.

Then something happened. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah prayed for rain to come upon the drought–ravaged land. As he sat praying on the mountaintop, Elijah looked out to see if his cry was being answered. But there was no evidence of a response from God. So Elijah prayed again. Still he saw no cloud. He prayed again, and again, and again, and still no cloud appeared.

Maybe you're familiar with this experience. At times you've known great victories in Christ. But then you needed something desperately and you prayed for it. Yet no answer came. You listened to tapes, sought counsel from your pastor, kept praying. But you didn't hear from God.

What did Elijah do during his confusing time of need? Scripture says he covered his head with a cloak. Elijah was saying, in essence, "Lord, I'm shutting out the world around me because I need a word from you. We desperately need fresh rain to fall on the dry land. If it doesn't come, we're sunk."

Then something happened. As Elijah lifted his head he saw a small formation in the distant sky. It was a tiny cloud, no bigger than a person's fist. Now Elijah knew God had heard him. He cried, "Here it is! God has answered my prayer."

The prophet sent his servant, Gehazi, to deliver a message to King Ahab: "Go up, say to Ahab, 'Prepare your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you'" (1 Kings 18:44, my italics). Elijah was telling the king, in effect, "I'll meet you in Jezreel. But you'd better hurry in your gleaming chariot, or you'll get stuck in the mud. And I'll beat you back to the city."

God has an important message for his people through Elijah's story. It all has to do with chariots.

Throughout the Old Testament, chariots played a central role in the economy.

Jezreel was known as a city of chariots. It excelled in warfare because of its vast fleet of iron vehicles made for swift movement in battle. In Elijah's story, chariots represent the strength of man. They signify the power to speed ahead with great agility, the ability to accomplish something through a powerful, dominating resource.

Today there's a certain "chariot lifestyle" — one of comfort and ease, where all our needs are provided. If we need something we write a check for it. If we want to do something we go ahead and do it. The chariot lifestyle is nice because we have access to all the resources we need for whatever we want.

Of course, to a Christian, the chariot lifestyle can have great appeal. As we look at the world's standard of success we see impressive "chariots" and "stallions." These are the means, the material wealth, that provide people with ease and security. Such people have everything they need to speed ahead out of the rain and keep themselves comfortable at all times.

But the servant of God doesn't seek those things primarily. Instead, he seeks to obey his master's voice and pursue the concerns of his kingdom. The Christian learns early in his faith walk that by pursuing the Lord first "all these things will be added to him" (Matthew 6:33).

Yet this same believer may find himself in lack at times. He doesn't have the resources to do certain things for his family. He doesn't see his calling or ministry being fulfilled. So he's tempted to think, "The resources are out there, and the world is using them to great effect. But I don't have any of them. I need them to accomplish God's work. How can I get hold of them?"

Elijah knew better than to look to the world's resources. Imagine the scene as he addressed King Ahab. There stood the king, perched high in his brilliant chariot, towering over the lowly prophet. Yet Elijah spoke boldly to Ahab: "You have the most impressive power on earth, commanding a vast fleet of chariots pulled by mighty stallions. But even your swift chariots are no match for the Lord's power. You'd better get going now, Ahab. God is going to get me to Jezreel before you."

Next we read, "The hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and he gathered up his garment and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel" (1 Kings 18:46). God's man outran a chariot! And this was over a distance of many miles. How did Elijah accomplish this? The phrase "gathered up his garment" means, essentially, "gird up your loins." All Elijah did was to "gird up his loins" — meaning, he prepared himself.

First Peter 1:13 tells us to "gird up the loins of your mind."

The apostle Paul tells us we've been called by God to run a race. Peter refers to this race also when he tells us to gird up the loins of our mind. He's saying we need to prepare ourselves for the contest by reinforcing our belief and trust in the Lord.

You see, we all have a heavenly calling preordained by God. Maybe the Holy Spirit has given you a vision for what your calling is. But there's a big gap between your high calling and seeing it fulfilled. At times that gap can tempt you to despair. That's the very reason Peter tells you to gird up the loins of your mind — to remind yourself of a certain truth about your God. Elijah's story gives us this truth:

"When you see chariots in front of you, carrying people swiftly toward their goals, don't despair. Do not be dismayed at the power they have but that you lack. God has a different way for you. When you set your eyes on the Father and let his powerful hand come upon you, you can outrun chariots."

David knew this truth about the heavenly Father. He uses the very same image to convey God's desire to supply his people: "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God" (Psalm 20:7).

Right now, you may seem to be in lack. Yet God says you can do more than people who have everything. How? God longs to show himself strong to those whose hearts are completely his.

The Lord is telling us, "You may think you don't have what you need. But you don't need the world's resources. You don't need a chariot's speed, because my speed is faster. If you'll trust me to accomplish my purpose in your life, you'll see it happen faster than you could imagine. I'll do it more powerfully, with more authority — and I'll be glorified through your life."

Imagine Elijah outracing Ahab to Jezreel on foot. And he had confidence enough in God to boast about it — even before it happened! If we're honest, we'll admit that most of us can only pretend to have that kind of confidence.

Let me illustrate by telling about some "chariot races" my wife and I engage in. Our family is like most. We require two cars to be everywhere we need to be. Often this means my wife and I end up at the same event in two cars. When that happens, an unspoken competition arises between us: Who'll get home first?

We don't break the law, but we each put the pedal to the metal going home, using every shortcut to shave time. She'll pass me with a wave on one stretch, then I'll pass her with a casual yawn. I love it when I beat her home. I rush out of the car, zip out of the garage, then shoot through the kitchen and into the living room. I turn on the TV, open the newspaper and prop up my feet. Even though I'm totally out of breath, I act nonchalant as she walks in: "Oh, hi. You're finally home."

That's just how I imagine Elijah reacting when Ahab arrives in Jezreel. The king has been whipping his horses like Ben Hur. Yet as he pulls into the city, there stands Elijah casually reading a scroll. Elijah looks up, stifles a yawn and says, "Oh, you finally made it."

Here is the message from this scene: You're going to see God's promises come to pass because he gives you the power to do it — not because of some worldly chariot.

What if Elijah had had access to an actual chariot? His vehicle would have been no match for Ahab's. As the rain falls in torrents, Elijah would have been mired down. And he would be stuck because he had committed to using the chariot. He would have missed the Lord's primary calling — which is to rely entirely on him.

Haggai describes an experience faced by many Christians who pursue a God–given vision.

In Haggai 2:15–16, the children of Israel were having difficulty constructing a building. Their cry was, "We needed to draw 50 measures of material to stone this building. But we only got 20 measures."

Maybe this describes your own life or calling. You need certain "measures" to accomplish what God has set before you, but you get only a part of it. You hope for one amount but receive a smaller one.

God has a message for you through Elijah's story. It is this: He wants to supply for us what we can't supply for ourselves. Indeed, Jesus tells us the Father longs to double our harvest. In John 4:35 Jesus and his disciples were walking near some grain fields. He pointed to the fields and said to his followers, "The fields are ready for harvest. So, don't say, 'There's going to be a harvest four months from now.' Lift up your eyes. The harvest is ready even now."

But the disciples were perplexed. They saw that the plants were only half grown. They thought, "Anyone with common sense can see these fields are nowhere near ready for harvest." But of course, Jesus was talking about the harvest of souls for God's kingdom.

The lesson of the harvest has a broader meaning for our lives as well. To us, it has to do with God's kingdom purposes in our lives. Jesus is telling us, "You don't have to wait four months to be holy. You don't have to wait to overcome your sin or have a burning passion for me. I've made all those things available to you right now. It may look impossible to you. And it is, in your own strength and ability. But I am expediting all things. There can be no excuses among those who follow me. I have set before you all things to grasp!"

I have a question to ask of every student or young working person who's reading this. Do you say to yourself, "I'll wait till I graduate before I stop drinking"? Or, "I'll wait till I'm older to stop sleeping around and settle down in marriage"? Or, "I just want to taste a little more of the world before I give my all to Jesus"?

Jesus' lesson of the harvest fields says no to all of that. He declared to all who would follow him: "Now is the time." This lesson of the harvest addresses every human excuse: "There is no waiting in my kingdom. If you wait four months, the harvest will pass you by. Don't let any excuse sidetrack you. In my kingdom, today is the day. Now is the time to follow me. Now is my time for my calling on you to be fulfilled!"

If this is true of you, I offer a challenge. Write down your excuse on a piece of paper. Read it for the last time. Then crumple that paper and toss it in the trash. Say, "I'm leaving that excuse behind me. I have no more excuses. Jesus says his harvest in my life is ripe right now."

The prophet Amos also speaks of a double harvest for God's people in the last days: "'Behold, the days are coming,' declares the Lord, 'when the plowman shall overtake the reapers and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it'" (Amos 9:13). Amos is saying, in effect, "Not only are the fields ripe four months early. The plowman is going to overtake the reaper!"

Once again, the message was incomprehensible to Amos' listeners. They knew that first came the plowing, then came the sowing of seeds, then came the reaping of the harvest. Besides, it was physically impossible for both a plowman and a reaper to labor in the same spot at the same time. Yet that's exactly what Amos was describing. He was suggesting two crops in one season — a total impossibility! But God wanted to bring about a double harvest in Israel.

So, what is the double harvest in your life? What issue or situation is God speaking to you about? Is it a financial need? Is it your marriage, your children, your household situation, your calling? No matter what it is, he has reserved for you a double harvest — of his presence, his grace, his resources, all the things you need for life.

His Word asks us, "Does it all seem impossible? Does it seem out of reach? Maybe you're dismayed that you need a measure of 20. Well, I'm going to give you a measure of 40. Do you think you need 100? You'll receive 200." Simply put, we are not to look to the world for our resources. Our heavenly Father owns them all. And he wants to resource us with his power, his glory, his supernatural ability.

Maybe you're thinking, "This all sounds good–strength for the journey, ability to outrun a chariot, a double harvest. So, how do I get it in my life?"

Elisha, the successor to Elijah, provides our example.

Elisha inherited from Elijah the role of prophet in the land. In 2 Kings 4, Elisha encountered one of his first big tests. He was approached by a Shunammite couple whose son had just died. In desperation, the wife told Elisha, "I've prayed and fasted, wept and pled. But I've received nothing from the Lord. With my son gone, I don't have the strength to go on. I just don't understand what God is doing. This is more than I can bear."

Elisha responded by doing something unusual. "He said to [his servant] Gehazi, 'Tie up your garment'" (2 King 4:29). In other words, "Gird up your loins." Then he said, "Take my staff in your hand and go. If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not reply. Then lay my staff on the face of the child."

Gehazi did as Elisha instructed him. He went to the family's home and laid his staff on the face of the dead child. But there was no sign of life. So Gehazi returned to Elisha saying, "The child has not awakened."

Here is my question to you: What do you do when your staff doesn't work? Where do you turn when every effort you put forth doesn't accomplish its purpose? What do you resort to when everything you've tried has brought no result?

There comes a time when we have no resource but Jesus alone. He is our solution. And in this story, Elisha is a type of Christ. He went to that Shunammite family and stretched himself out over the body of the dead boy. When he was face to face, foot to foot, hand to hand over the child, he breathed into him.

What happened then? Scripture says the boy sneezed seven times. He was alive!

Tell me, what brought about this life? Jesus himself breathed into the situation. When we have no hope, no resources, no ability, Christ breathes his supernatural life into our circumstance. We need him to lie down on our problem and breathe his resurrection life into it.

Are you still looking to trust in the mighty chariots of the world?

Maybe all this time you've had your eye on an iron chariot of some kind. Your prayer life has been aimed at God to provide it for you. But your Father may be telling you, "You don't need that chariot. I'm going to provide you with everything you need. I'll give you power not just for the 20 measures you think you need but for the 50 measures I want you to have."

Make this your prayer: "Lord, I have nothing — but you have everything. No resource in this world can compare to you and your power. And I need you now. If you don't breathe life into my problem, I won't make it. I can't do it, but you can, Lord. With you, I can outrun chariots!"