Hope for a Better Life

1 Kings 17:1

“1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” 

Elijah’s name meant “Yahweh is my God.”  In some versions of the Bible it is spelled Elias.  The Hebrew spelling of his name is Eliyyahu.  Elijah was a prophet of the northern kingdom of Israel during the reigns of Kings Ahab and Ahaziah.

Elijah prophesied to Ahab, the bad king, that God would prevent the rain and even the dew from falling for three years because of the sins that Ahab committed. Because of the sins of Ahab, the entire nation of Israel suffered.

We may think that our sins are private, and that no one else suffers, but our sins are like ripples on a pond, reaching ever outward beyond us.  

Because of God’s grace and mercy there is hope for a better life.  If we ask God for forgiveness and turn away from our sins, our relationship with Him will be restored and we can move forward in a new and powerful way.

“Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.” (Deuteronomy 32:2)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)