The Mandate of Elijah: Bold Faith in Famine
Pastor Zubeda Sing · 1 min read
“And the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “Go from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan [River]. You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to sustain you there [with food].”
Elijah was a prophet whom God sent to warn the Israelites of the consequences of abandoning him. Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Baal required a tremendous amount of courage and confidence in God’s divine power. With the mandate of God directing him, Elijah unequivocally demonstrated that the Lord alone is God. In doing so, he risked his life on something that would have been impossible if God had not intervened.
His amazing story is recorded in 1 Kings 17:1–2 Kings 2:11. From the time we’re introduced to him, we see Elijah as a brave man. His first recorded words reflect confrontation and condemnation—fighting words between a godless king and a godly prophet: “There will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word”. Elijah was threatening to withhold rain, an essential ingredient for the kingdom to prosper. His words came to pass.
In the book of James we read we are people of like passions, just like Elijah, so what Elijah could accomplish, we too can do the same, maybe not to the same intensity and impact but each of us has a mandate and a call. We need to trust and obey.
From the October 2026 issue, themed THE MANDATE & MISSION OF A THRIVER.
