Knowing Whose You Are

Reading of the Day 4/13/25: 1 Kings 16-18

1 Kings 18:31: And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:

It is in our rebellious nature as humans, mainly teens, to run from who we are, and who we were created to be. Many people believe their purpose & identity are out there somewhere in the universe, waiting to be discovered...but this "quest" only leads to more questions! And this is the "teenage phase" that the Israelites found themselves in throughout these chapters...and it started with the leadership! Most the kings were corrupt, so the people of Israel could not even look to them for guidance-so, they lost their way & lost sight of God. This also means, they lost sight of themselves! They tried to find it in serving other gods, building groves & idols, and just living for their own finite desires...but they seemed to forget that in knowing Whose they are, they would know who they are! Elijah the prophet thankfully followed the leading of The Lord at a time when no one else would! He called all the rebellious Israelites together, going through their "teen phase" of an identity crisis, along with all the false prophets of Baal & the prophets of the groves, and the king who married an evil woman named Jezebel. The god who would send fire for the sacrifice was the one true god...and our God was the only One Who could do it! The above Scripture talks about the significance of the altar Elijah built-he uses 12 stones to represent the 12 tribes of Israel, reminding them of their name & identity! GOD called Jacob Israel! GOD raises up kings & takes them out! When we know WHOSE we are, we know WHO we are! When God lights the fire on this altar, the Israelites immediately shout, "The Lord, He is the God!" (1 Kings 18:39). And the spark of love & fear of The Lord starts to return! Let us never forget Whose we are! Let us never overcomplicate our identity! If we trust in God, He will continue to unfold His plan for us day after day. We will not have to turn to any other for self-worth or fulfillment! God's purpose is greatest & deeply satisfies the soul.