Pastor Tim Patoka
Define Christian
August 6, 2023
Trust in God to Provide 1 Kings 17:1-6 1) He Promises So 2) He Does So How likely are you to trust someone? If you’re a young child, you’ll likely trust everything your parents say. That’s what most kids do, at least until they learn how their parents are no different than regular people. If you’re a customer shopping for a used car, you probably won’t trust anything the salesperson tells you. After all, if they can make a lemon sound like a steal, how can you be sure about anything they say? Maybe you’re already getting wrapped up in potential presidential candidates. Depending on your party affiliation and personal opinions, you can have a polar opposite level of trust than someone else who is like you in many ways. Because when we trust someone, we usually look to their dependability or how realistic their promises are. If either is in question, then so is our trust in them. How would you describe your trust in God? It is a child’s 100% trust in their parent to do anything they say? It is a voter’s changing trust in a candidate’s particular promises? It is a customer’s lack of trust in a stereotypical used car salesperson? As we look at our verses this morning from 1 Kings chapter 17, we’ll see how the prophet Elijah had complete trust in God despite the impossible nature of his promises. As Elijah trusted in God, so can we Christians today because we have the same God as Elijah did so long ago. As sch, the Christian trusts in God to provide for he promises and he does so. 1) He Promises So Our verses begin with Elijah, the prophet of God, speaking to Ahab, the unfaithful king of the northern kingdom of Israel. Ahab was one of many evil kings, yet he reached a new low in comparison to his predecessors. Not only did Ahab force the idolatrous worship of Baal upon his people, he systematically sought out and killed hundreds of preachers and teachers of the one true God. As Ahab’s heart strayed far away from the Lord, so did his people’s heart. By and large, the northern kingdom of Israel had abandoned the Lord for idols like Baal. So the Lord had Elijah declare the following message: a drought is coming. For three and a half years, no rain would fall from the sky and no dew would form on the ground until Elijah said the word. This drought was a slap in Baal’s lifeless face. As the supposed “god” of fertility and rain, the Lord would show everyone just how powerless and pointless Baal was. This drought was also a call to repentance. As the nation had fallen away from God, so the Lord got all their attention in one fell swoop. Prayerfully, they would realize the error of their ways, turn to God in repentance, and trust in his ready promise of forgiveness. 1