Flash

My first introduction to Flash was the early 90's TV show "The Flash." None of you youth are going to remember the show because it was on before most of you were born (Man, I'm old!). But anyway, I always loved seeing The Flash use his super speed to defeat bad guys and protect the city.

Did you know that God gave super speed to one of his Old Testament prophets? The Bible is better and cooler than any comic book because the characters and plot are better, plus it's real.

After God used Elijah to defeat the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18, the prophet of the Lord was waiting for the rain to come that God had promised.

There had been a drought in the land for three years because of the disobedience of the people. Elijah had told them that God would withhold rain because of their rejection of Him. Before Elijah went to challenge the false gods, he told the king that God was going to send rain.

Elijah after seeing God consume his offering with fire, told King Ahab to get ready because heard the sound of heavy rain coming. It was going to be such a downpour that the king would not be able to travel.

As soon as the king went to eat and drink, Elijah hit his knees and begin to pray - there was no rain yet, not even a cloud. He sent his servant six times to look for any indication of the impending rain. Six times, he came back with nothing.

How many times has God told us He was going to do something, but we gave up on Him after praying just a couple of times. "God, I've prayed two or three times about this. You promised You would do it, but apparently not. Maybe I just heard wrong."

Elijah was confident in God's direction. He sent his servant back a seventh time and he came back with a report of "a cloud the size of a man's hand." All Elijah needed was this small indication that God was working. He told the king to hitch up the chariot and go before he got flooded out.

How often do we see God moving in small ways and downplay it? It may be an indication of the big work God is about to do. Never ignore even a small sign from God, especially if it is in keeping with a promise he has already made.

As this point, you're wondering where the whole "Flash" thing comes in. It's in the last two verses of the chapter, verse 45 and 46:

Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. The power of the LORD came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

I don't know why God wanted Elijah in Jezreel before Ahab, but He did and He gave Elijah the power to accomplish His will. Maybe God wanted Elijah to be the first one to tell the wicked queen Jezebel about God's victory at Mount Carmel and the rain showers coming down the mountain. I don't know, but the story gives me confidence that no matter what God has called me to do, He is going to empower me to accomplish His work.

It's the same for you. If God has called you to do something, just know that He will give you everything you need to complete His task. I don't think he'll make you The Flash, but you'll have power from God and do His will and that's a lot cooler than just being able to run fast.