Oh, the places you'll go Elijah

When Dr. Theodor Seuss Geisel began writing children’s book’s he probably had no idea of the profound impact he would have upon millions of children.  The rhyming books with creative lyrics and storylines weaved children through a world thought and imagination.  It is quite ironic to me that one of his final books he wrote was one of his most famous still to this day.  It is simply titled Oh, the Places you’ll go! It was his final book to be published in 1990 before his death a year later in 1991 at the age of 87.

In our summer sermon series on the life of Elijah I have been fascinated by the specific places that God led Elijah along the way.  After appearing before King Ahab as this bold prophet of God, the Lord tells Elijah to go and hide by the brook of Cherith.  The Hebrew word Cherith has a meaning of a cutting away or cut apart.  God literally was taking Elijah to a place where he could prune and chip away at Elijah to prepare him for what was to come.

Cherith was eventually followed by a journey to a place called Zarephath. Here he would lodge with a widow and her son and be used by God in a miraculous way.  First it was the feeding of the family that had nothing but every day more oil and flour appeared along with water.  Then the miracle of raising the little boy from the dead.  Two tremendous works of the Lord through Elijah at the widow’s home.  Zarephath was known as a place of working metals and refining.  To smelt or test the metals was done in this city.  Here God is taking Elijah to do the same in his own life.  To test him, refine him and even do away with the impurities as he melts his heart.

Even as Elijah is led to Mount Carmel we realize this is the place of God’s power revealed against all false gods.  It is the great showdown of the prophet Elijah against 850 false prophets.  But before Elijah could stand on top of Mount Carmel he had to first experience the places of growth, preparation and refinement.  

Elijah had several stops along the way of his life on this earth.  But the more Elijah reflected the more he recognized that this journey was not man made.  He saw the penmanship of God Almighty throughout his unusual journey. Elijah began to see that the Mount Carmel experiences only happen when you first kneel at the brook of Cherith and serve in the stillness of Zarephath.  Oh, Elijah the places you will go, when you obey God.

So, as our journey is in progress today, we can learn a lot from Elijah. The hand of God still traces through each one of our lives as well.  And eventually we will all experience our Mount Carmel moments of seeing the power of God. We all have that mountain to climb as well. In the words of Dr. Theodor Seuss some verses of wisdom…

“Kid, you’ll move mountains!
                                         So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray                                                  or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!”  Dr. Seuss