Can You Outrun the Chariots?

“Then the LORD gave special strength to Elijah. He tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab's chariot all the way to the entrance of Jezreel.” (1 Kings 18:46). In this Old Testament story, Elijah outruns King Ahab’s chariot. Chariots represent the strength of man.

Chariots signify speed, accomplishment, and domination. Yet, Elijah outran the chariots. You may think that Elijah must have really been ‘in the zone’ at that great moment. But the fact is, Elijah was so discouraged and despairing, he was ready to give up. Even though he had just been used by God to defeat and destroy 450 prophets of Baal, he made a 180 degree turn, and ran for his life when Jezebel threatened to kill him. Running to the desert, he sat down and prayed “Lord, I’ve had enough; just let me die.” (I Kings 19:4).

How is it that no matter how much God shows His power in our lives, we, like Elijah, so easily turn away when our feats are followed by defeats, and we say I’ve had enough? These are the times when God simply wants us to relinquish control and believe in His power, having confidence in God's promise “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:9). If only we could abide in that truth, we would be able to outrun the chariots.

Listen to Your Frenemies

Have you ever said to yourself “with friends like this, who needs enemies?” Thus, the post-modern term was coined:“frenemy”— an ‘enemy disguised as a friend.’ Granted, most of us are pretty quick to dismiss criticism that comes from a frenemy.

But if we begin with the assumption that God is always speaking to us (certainly by His Word but also through our circumstances), then logically we must accept that He may even be speaking to us (getting our attention for sure!) through people we might rather dismiss or disregard. And if we have prejudged them as our enemies, we will not consider that the Lord may be speaking to us through them.

This “frenemy” principle is illustrated in an episode in King David’s life. As David and his men were traveling home from battle, an antagonist named Shimei started throwing stones and cursing David from the other side of the river (2 Sam. 16:5-12). David’s loyal men asked if they should cross over and kill the man. But David response was to leave the man alone—maybe God was trying to tell David something. And by disregarding the denigration, David received a correction from the Lord.

When you are being criticized, do not be quick to dismiss those words. Maybe God has a message for you through the mouth of a frenemy? One final thought: God rebuked the prophet Balaam by speaking through a donkey (Numbers 22: 30). If God can speak through a donkey, surely He can speak through a frenemy!