What Makes Sense

Fear sends us scurrying to strange places.  Most of us remember the story of Elijah doing spiritual battle on Mt. Carmel.  It was a moment of a tremendous public victory.  It was also a moment of knowing that the Lord has been powerfully at work through his life during the years of severe drought.  If ever there was a moment when a prophet's popularity ratings would have soared off the charts, it was this moment when the fire fell and the prophets of Baal were defeated and destroyed.

 

But, even while the smoke was still lingering, there is a strange turnabout.  Elijah, the victorious prophet, gets word that Jezebel has vowed to take his life within the next twenty four hours.  Verse 3 of I Kings 19 has his response to her threat.  "Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life..."  It makes no sense.  Why would a man who had just experienced such spiritual victory be afraid of the threatening words of this woman who represented everything over which the Lord had made him triumphant?  It simply makes no sense.

 

Fear often makes no sense.  Oh, there are times when it has a basis, but there are also those moments when fear is what makes no sense.  There are times when fears become irrational like some demon which keeps us away from reasonable and sound thinking.  Fear seems to have a way of short circuiting the connections which keep our life on track and in step with what God intends for us.  It is no wonder that Jesus said over and over  and over again, "Do not be afraid."  When fear takes hold, faith and trust is gone out the window.  Jesus tells us not to let fear possess us to the point that it takes away our life and our confidence in Him to take care of us.  Here is something which does make sense.