Bulletin
You Are Not Alone
At a low point in Elijah’s life, he told God, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away” (1 Kings 19:14). Ever feel that way? All around us, it seems, there is a culture of immorality, principles of truth are scoffed at and ridiculed and government attacks on Christians are all the more prevalent. You’re trying to live right but it is easy to succumb to the feeling that evil is winning, that precious few really care about God anymore.
God was quick to point out to Elijah that there were still 7,000 in Israel who had not bowed the knee to Baal or kissed him (v.18). 7,000 people is a pretty small minority among the millions in Israel, but the fact was that Elijah wasn’t nearly as alone as he had led himself to believe.
Though a tiny minority, there are still many in the world who are striving to please God and we should be encouraged by that. But if we could look around us with the eyes of Elisha, we would see that “those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:16). Like Elisha and his servant, we would see that God is in control and that the land is full of the Lord’s “horses and chariots of fire.”
When I offer my feeble prayers in the quiet solitude of my room, my prayers and petitions are joining with a great host of others and combining into a powerful chorus of praise to the great God of heaven. Revelation chapter 4 offers an awe-inspiring glimpse into the throne-room of God. For the purposes of this discussion, the emphasis is on the sheer magnitude of the heavenly host, not the intent of the detailed symbolism.
Jehovah God is on the throne and the Lamb, the Lion of Judah and the Spirit of God in the form of Seven Spirits are with Him. The four and twenty elders with their robes of white and their crowns of gold are blending their voices with the four living creatures in praise to the Father and to the Lamb that was slain. Encircled around them are “myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands” of angels ascribing power, riches, wisdom, might, honor, glory and blessing to the Lamb. Finally, surrounding them, every created thing in heaven and on earth, under the earth and on the sea and in them are saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”
In the midst of this amazing display of praise and devotion, my pitiful prayer is directed before God’s throne through the golden bowls of incense held by the elders and the four creatures. When I praise God, I am participating in this grand chorus of honor and praise. With all this in mind, the adage, “If God is with us, who can be against us” (Romans 8:31) takes on whole new meaning. Bill Maher and Richard Dawkins become irrelevant. We serve a God who can say, “Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales” (Isaiah 40:15). Jehovah is not in the least intimidated by atheists and skeptics and recognizes them as the fools they are (Psalm 14:1).
If you feel out of place in this world, there is a good reason for that. This was never intended to be your permanent home, you’re just a visitor (1 Peter 2:11). But the next time you begin to feel like a member of a dying breed, meditate on Revelation 4 and remember that “those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” As long as you are on God’s side, you are never alone.
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