A Hidden Life with God - All The LORD is near Daily Devotionals for 2024

Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook.
1 Kings 17:3-4

A Hidden Life with God
The Lord instructed Elijah to do two opposite things. The first one was probably the harder of the two. Elijah was a very fiery preacher, full of energy and zeal. To be taken out of circulation for three and a half years could well have been very difficult .

But God had a purpose in hiding Elijah. What was it? Perhaps this man of God had to be hid because God was preparing him for mighty things. Elijah was going to face the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. While in hiding, he learned to depend on God. During these three and a half years, he learned to wait on his God to provide for his every need. He was also learning how to be a blessing to others. Like Elijah, we need to hide ourselves before we present ourselves. Our tendency is to show ourselves and never hide until we fail, and then we only hide in shame. But Scripture is very clear that we need to hide in private with the Lord before we go out publicly for Him. We need secret seasons alone with Him in His Word and in prayer. If we do not hide in His presence, there will be no spiritual power in our lives. The prophet Zechariah was told that service is "not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit" (Zech. 4:6). Elijah was told to present himself to king Ahab, and he came out of hiding. Now Elijah was presented to the king, not in his own strength but in the power of the Spirit of God.

The Holy Spirit was working through a man who was hidden; self was out of the way, and the Spirit had liberty to work. The Lord calls each of us to hide ourselves. Will we spend time alone with Him to allow Him to prepare us for what He wants to do in and through us?

Tim Hadley, Sr.