Truly I tell you, whatever you forbid and declare to be improper and unlawful on earth must be what is already forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit and declare proper and lawful on earth must be what is already permitted in heaven. Again I tell you, if two of you on earth agree (harmonize together, make a symphony together) about whatever [anything and everything] they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in heaven. For wherever two or three are gathered (drawn together as My followers) in (into) My name, there I Am in the midst of them. Matthew 18:18-20 Amplified Bible (AMP)

Alone in the Gap

We’re first introduced to him as “Elijah the Tishbite” 1 Kings 17:1. Talk about stepping out of nowhere! Elijah came out of this insignificant place—out of nowhere—to make such a significant contribution to God’s plan for His people that he became one of Israel’s most famous heroes. He became what we often call today a legend.

The first thing that commands our attention is Elijah’s name. The Hebrew word for “God” in the Old Testament is Elohim, which is occasionally abbreviated El. The word jah is the word for “Jehovah.” Thus, in Elijah’s name we find the word for “God” and the word for “Jehovah.” Between them is the small letter I, which in Hebrew has reference to the personal pronoun “my” or “mine.” Putting the three together, then, we find that Elijah’s name means “My God is Jehovah” or “The Lord is my God.” No one had a reason to doubt that!

Ahab and Jezebel were in control of the northern kingdom of Israel, and Baal was the god they worshiped. But when Elijah burst on the scene, his very name proclaimed, “I have one God. His name is Jehovah. He is the One I serve, before whom I stand.”

By now, the spiritual chasm between God and His people had reached its widest breadth. Elijah stood alone in that gap.

Today there are still those who stand alone in the gap, those who still strive to shake us awake. A handful of brave students at Columbine High School come immediately to mind. Loaded guns and the threat of death couldn’t silence them. I think of them as modern-day Elijahs, whom God uses to deliver a life-changing message. Men and women of courage, ready to stand and deliver. Authentic heroes.

Our Lord is still searching for people who will make a difference. Christians dare not be mediocre. We dare not dissolve into the background or blend into the neutral scenery of this world. Sometimes you have to look awfully close and talk awfully long before an individual will declare his allegiance to God . . . someone with the courage to stand alone for God. Is that what we have created today in this age of tolerance and compromise?

Elijah’s life teaches us what the Lord requires.

Our Lord is still searching for people who refuse to hide in the background.

— Charles R. Swindoll

Today I have decided to use the tools available to me to do what I can to bridge the spiritual chasm between God and the land I love within the the world I am traveling through.  My hope and prayer is for my readers to join the effort, join the Facebook Group and spend a few moments in earnest prayer as often as the Lord leads you to it.