Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-09-11

discouraged servant OF Goa, MOSeS.
Leisurely, and with many excursions
Elijah travelled to Horeb. spending for.
ty days in the trip. How he could en-
JOY such desolate surroundings only
lovers of the desert know. This was
his native air. Here rather than in
palaces, was his home. In the wilder.
ness, If anywhere, Elijah must get his
messages from God. To him the sparse
camel thorn, the flinty gray desert, the
distant red rocks, were beautiful. He
was at home in the Businesses. With
real relief he took UP his lodging In .
cave in the holy mountain.
An object Lesson For Elijah.
There is implied rebuke in the sim
pie fact that the prophet, who had
himself been given an object lesson of
Gods greatness, had himself to be
taught an object lesson. For Elijah
had no sooner settled comfortably in
his cave than the voice Of Jehovah
came to him, saying, lovingly, as 1t
were, well. how about it, Elijah.
What now?"
Whereupon the unconcious egotism
of a strong mar e%ngrossed In himself
and in his work burst forth, II have
been very jealous for the Lord God Of
hosts: for the children Of Israel have
forsaken Thy covenant, thrown down
Thine affairs, and slain Thy prophets
with the sword; and /, even l only, am
left; and they seek my life, to take 1t
away"
That sounds familiar. 1t seems to
me have often heard that %priggish.
ph~arisaical, II, even l only, am left" a
good many times. There are whole
groups of us Christians who have SO
little sense of proportion = or of hui
NOR - that we think the Lord would
be in a sorry way II 1t were not for us.
We are sure the church as well as the
times are decadent and that we few
are the saving remnant. Which means
that we are not posted" u ego has
got in front Of our eyesight, hindering
our vision"
Bidding the self-centered prophet
stand on the mount, God gave him an
object lesson, which has passed into a
familiar figure Of speech. In success
sion there passed by a mighty wind, q
earthquake and a fire, but the Lo-d
was not in any of them. Then came
the still, small voice, and 10. that was
the voice of God. Now, as then and
ever, the mightiest influences are the
quietest - the growth of the vegetable
kingdom, the shining of the sun, the
rise OF the tides, the development OF
the human will and mind. There are
purposes today forming, all u%nsuspect-
ed, in individual human hearts which
may eventually mean more to the
world than this great wal itself. The
voice of God in the spirit OF man Is
unheard by the nearest person, but it
is the greatest force in the universe.
So the startlingly practical message
that came to Elijah from the Mount
was to this effect. go back among men
and organize your work. Do you Job
thoroughly, but 1t is among people that
your work must be done. Learn to be
a cooperator. At this very moment,
there are two kings to be Amounted
and an apprentice prophet to be chosen
in order that my work may be carried
out. And don't forget, my self center
ed Elijah, that you are not the only
righteous man In the land. There are
seven thousand true hearts in Israel.
Go, work with and for them; and quit
your incoming of here in the desert
Thus 1t came to pass that Elijah had
his lesson; and went back among the
people to do his work. There he chose
Elisha, a different type Of man entirely
to- continue the work which he had be-
gun.