The angels in heaven are blessed to listen to the Word of God directly, understand and obey and worship Him. This same privilege is given every believer and presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit is an additional gift from God to walk uprightly. Anyone who cannot sing can also come into the holy presence of God, enjoy the music and join in worship and prayer from deep within his heart for this given pleasure to the Lord. Prophet Elijah identified himself as one who stands in the presence of the Lord and we as believers also claim this same blessing. Being in the presence of the Lord must fill us with awe, reverence and power to act in obedience to His Word.
Meaning of being in God’s presence – King Ahab of Israel was the worst king for his evil ways and Prophet Elijah is introduced as being from Tishbe of Gilead, an unknown place (1 Kings 17:1). He then declares no rain for three years on the authority of God ‘before whom I stand’. This one fact reveals Elijah to be in a close relationship with God, who could listen to his voice, understand and act in obedience to that. His spiritual strength in his faith was strong to move to the brook Cherith and be fed by ‘ravens’ or crows, an unclean bird. The Hebrew word ‘cherith’ means to ‘separate, be cut off’ and in obedience to God’s command he remained cut off and separated from his people. For the entire period of three years at Cheerith and then at Zarephath, he was fed by the crows and a non- Israelite widow, forbidden acceptance of hospitality by a Jew.
What qualities Elijah had to claim his spiritual strength? First, he had absolute faith in God and in this he could challenge the vilest king Ahab and Jezebel, his wife, who worshipped and supported Baal worship. Scripture clearly warns us, ‘The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe’ (Proverbs 29:25). Elijah was not perfect and was threatened by Queen Jezebel to make his life as miserable as the slain priests of Baal, who were sponsored by her but were defeated and killed. Elijah fled from the Southern Kingdom into Judea to escape persecution. We as believers are blessed with the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in us to guide and teach us His ways and about the Word of God. God’s Spirit fills us with ‘power, love and self control’ and not fear. Once one is focused on the worldly things, fear takes over and forces one to run.
Second, Elijah was accepted and supported by God and thus could claim to stand in His Divine presence. The prophet had surrendered completely to God and obeyed Him diligently without any hesitation. His obedience went against the normal ritualistic ways of the Jewish people about clean and unclean things and he never doubted the truth of God’s instructions to him. Apostle Paul teaches the same principle, ‘do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God’ (Romans 12:2). We cannot be trying to walk with God and be in His presence while doubting or disagreeing with His word and commands. The prophet taught the committed way to serve God, for He does not desire sacrifice offerings but ‘the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings’ (Hosea 6:6). Apostle Paul touched the lives of innumerable people all over the world and he encouraged others. He sent a special message to one such, saying to Archippus in Colosse, ‘take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it’ (Colossians 4:17).
Elijah lived this fully and was taken up ‘by a whirlwind into heaven’ without facing death (2 Kings 2:11). In his last letter from the prison in Rome, before his execution, Apostle Paul wrote to his spiritual son, Timothy, ‘I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith’ (2 Timothy 4:6-7). Elijah was blessed by God to move up without dying and Apostle Paul is still speaking to millions of believers all over the world through his Epistles. He not only founded churches all over but also guided them during his absence by writing letters of guidance and encouragement. He could say that he had fought the good fight and could claim and receive ‘the crown of righteousness’ from the Lord, the righteous Judge in heaven (2 Timothy 4:8).
Third, Elijah was faithful and God took care of him, whether it was during the famine or other dangers/ threats that he faced. God fulfilled the words that Elijah spoke and rejected the prayers of others to bring rain. Being in God’s presence is to be his channel of blessing and also disciplining. Asaph, the singer in the Temple of the Lord felt totally alone in a crisis and cried out, ‘O God, why have You rejected us forever? Why does Your anger smolder against the sheep of Your pasture’ (Psalm 74:1). Elijah lived a life of faith in earth and is chosen to be one of the two witnesses to challenge the ‘beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit’ (Revelation 11:11-12). They will be killed and be raised again to life and will hear a loud voice from heaven saying to them, ‘Come up here’. And they will ascend to heaven in a cloud in front of their enemies. It is to such servants that our Lord calls out ‘well done, good and faithful servant’ and then blesses them, ‘enter into the joy of your Lord’ (Matthew 25:23). Those who diligently follow God and live in total submission to His will are thus blessed here on earth and enter heaven in glory and can be considered to have lived and walked in the presence of God here on earth and then eternally.
Symptoms of walking with God – The first reference in the Scripture about anyone walking with God is of Enoch for he ‘walked with God; and he was not, for God took him’ (Genesis 5:22;24). Enoch’s walk with God is listed twice to lay stress on his devotion to God, but his life-span is very short, only 360 years while his son Methuselah lived the longest, a total of 969 years. Rashi the Jewish saint has interpreted that Enoch, who was a righteous man, and was surrounded by evil, God took him before his day of death to prevent his falling into sin. God visited Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and this was their walking with God to understand His ways (Genesis 3:8).
Walking with God is thus a reflection of a direct and intimate relationship with God, which was morally and religiously perfect and this would be reflected in our lives. This requirement of a close relationship is also highlighted by God through His prophet Micah. It is said, ‘He (God) has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk with your God’? (Micah 6:8). It is by being close to God that we get to know Him, understand His desires and plan for us in alignment with His being a merciful, loving and forgiving God. If one does not know the ways of the one whom he wants to emulate, how can he follow and walk with him? This is the basic requirement for every believer and not only for the leaders of the congregations.
God also decreed a specific commandment for the priests to have the law of truth in his mouth with no injustice on his lips (Malachi 2:1;6). The purpose and result of this was to walk with God in peace (without any disagreement) and thus turn others away from iniquity and follow the ways of the Lord. The status of a believer in Lord Jesus is that we are ‘a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light’ (1 Peter 2:9). In addition to the essential qualities that Elijah, the prophet, had, a believer must also display in his life character traits of a priest, living a holy and righteous life while interceding for others to lead them from darkness of sin and evil into God’s way of light and righteousness.
Walk with God is a walk before God submitting to a close scrutiny and correction where essential. Our life would then be like the moon, that has no light of its own but reflects the light of the sun but not without effect for its changing state causes tides in the sea. Our walk before God would then bring about changes in the lives of others whom we meet for essentially we are the ‘salt of the earth’ preserving it and ‘the light of the world’, helping others to escape darkness within them and outside. This close relationship would then help us face the tribulations of storms and other events, yet hear the ‘still small voice of God’ that Elijah heard on the mountain of God (1 Kings 19:12-13). We are blessed with the presence of the Holy Spirit in us to help through His teachings, intercessory prayers, empowerment and self-control.
In that state then, we are not governed by our senses and even circumstances, for we are fully aware of His presence in us. The Ark of the LORD was in the house of Obed-Edom for three months before being moved by King David to Jerusalem and ‘the LORD blessed Obed-Edom and all his household’ (2 Samuel 6:11). The presence of God in someone or some place is to bless and our walk in His presence brings great favours from above and from others. Those who seek the Lord and His commands and statutes are protected and prevented from sinful activities for God is with them and they walk in His ways (Psalm 119:3). This walk is a continuous movement forward, for in the creation of God everything from sun, moon, earth and stars are moving. In the walk with God, to be stationery is to be left behind and lose the way.
Abraham was commanded by God to move away from his family ‘to a land that I will show you’ (Genesis 12:1). Walking with God is not about gathering and knowing all the facts and plans but to know the One who controls all things. Lord Jesus selected the twelve disciples and all were told ‘Follow me’ but they and many even today want Him to follow and do what we want Him to do (Luke 5:27). God created us in His image and likeness and we always try to mould Him into the image that we imagine He should be. Abraham followed and was called a ‘man of faith’. Saul (Apostle Paul) was confronted by Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus and he asked, ‘Lord, what do You want me to do?’ (Acts 9:6;15-16). He would have never expected the task for the persecutor would be to undergo persecution though he would be ‘a chosen vessel of Mine (Lord Jesus) to bear My name before Gentiles, kings and the children of Israel’. Added to this task was, to be shown ‘how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake’. He never hesitated to follow the commands of the Lord and faced every beating, stoning, hunger and other tribulations from Jews, Gentiles and even believers. This must be our ideal of a walk with God.
Ideal example of walking with God – Apostles Peter and John healed a man lame from birth in the name of Lord Jesus and in His power and authority and then preached the message of the crucifiction and resurrection of the Lord. They were put in the Temple prison and on the next day warned to not preach this message (Acts 4:2; 19; 23-29). The same disciple who had denied his Lord three times earlier, boldly told Annas, the high priest, Caiphas, Jewish rulers and elders, ‘whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God’.
On being released the two went ‘to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them’. On this all of them ‘raised their voice to God with one accord’ and what would we have prayed in this situation, seeking protection, a way to preach without annoying others or give some other place to reach out? But their prayer was different, for they cried out ‘LORD, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea and all that is them’. In this manner, thus, they declared His Sovereign power as Creator of everything. And then they said, ‘For truly against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together’ to cause all that affliction on Your Son’. They identified the work as the will of God saying, ‘to do whatever Your hand had Your purpose had determined before to be done’ (Isaiah 53:10). They declared that no one has any power to do anything that is not ordained or approved by God beforehand, recognizing the sufferings of Lord Jesus for our salvation being from God.
Then they finally sought His help by crying out to God, ‘Now, Lord, look on their (the Jewish leaders) threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your Word’. They declared to the world and its authorities that the message of the disciples was from God Himself and not from any human being. And they sought boldness and courage to continue preaching the Gospel to the people. The response of God to their prayer was immediate, ‘when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the Word of God with boldness’. When we start trying to and walking with the Lord, our prayers change and we start looking for ways to glorify Him and fulfill His purpose for our lives.
During the Last Supper, Apostle John leaned on the breast of Lord Jesus, for he had started understanding the Words of the Redeemer. His relationship with Lord Jesus was of truth, love and surrender and for this he was chosen by the Lord to care for His mother Mary. When we walk in this manner with the Lord, our obedience is also from the place of absolute surrender. This is the only way for a believer to walk with His Lord and these are the visible signs in their lives!
