Romans 11:4
“But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.”
One of the things that we must always remember about those whom God used greatly in the past is that they were people who had struggles and feelings just like us. When Elijah was praying for Israel, he felt that he was the only one who took a stand for God. He said, “I am left alone, and they seek my life.” It was at that point when God reminded him that there were “…seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.”
Elijah fell for the same discouraging tactic that Satan throws at each of us in that he felt he was the only one who was fighting for truth. The Scriptures don’t tell us why the seven thousand men didn’t show up when he challenged the four hundred prophets of Baal, all we are told is that they had not compromised their faith in God. There are some lessons we need to take from this verse that will help us from becoming a Christian who thinks that we are the only one who is standing for truth.
First, there are far more who want to do right than there are who have chosen to do wrong. What is interesting about this story is that there were only four hundred prophets of Baal, but there were seven thousand who had not bowed the knee. One thing you must always keep in mind is that the four hundred tend to have louder voices than the seven thousand. The seven thousand are busy serving the LORD. The seven thousand are busy helping others get their lives back together. You are not alone in serving God. The prophets of Baal may portray you as a minority, but they’re only doing so because they are losing the battle and they know it.
Second, just because the seven thousand couldn’t come to Elijah’s revival meeting at the top of the mount didn’t mean they were not standing. We tend to acquire a martyr’s mentality because our meetings are not as big as we think they should be. Moreover, we tend to think people are not standing for truth because they didn’t come to our conference or meeting. You must be careful about judging one’s motives for not attending. We don’t know why they didn’t come, but they had not bowed the knee. Likewise, you don’t know why people don’t attend your meetings, but that doesn’t mean they are not standing.
Third, when you think you are alone, always remember that you’re not alone. There are many people who are still standing for truth who you just don’t know about. God knows where they are and what they are doing. You need to stay focused on your world because your influence on them will only continue if you continue to stand for truth without wavering.
Let me encourage you not to fall into self-pity. Stay busy serving the LORD. The Devil will magnify those four hundred voices to make you feel that you are alone in an attempt to shame you and silence your voice. Don’t let his tactic stop you from doing right. When you are tempted to start feeling sorry for yourself because of loneliness, just look up to God and ask for His encouragement, remember the seven thousand who didn’t bow the knee and continue doing what you are supposed to do.