N o one was more respected, more feared, or more significant to

the ancient Jews than those who stood before the people as

God s prophets. When the prophet spoke, the people listened. Their

words had impact, like bullets spinning out of a rifle, drilling their

way into the heart. Prophets had clout! They weren t always appre-

ciated, but they were seldom ignored.

And no one can deny that Elijah was one of the greatest. He

was God s lightning during the dark days under Ahab and Jezebel s

rule. Suddenly he appeared . . . and almost as mysteriously he dis-

appeared into the sky. But sandwiched between his entrance and

his exit, Elijah left an indelible mark etched upon his times.

In no way, however, should we think of him as superhuman.

One of the New Testament writers states, "Elijah was a man with

a nature like ours..." (James 5:17). Again and again we ll identify

with his humanity, which (hopefully) will encourage us throughout

these biographical snapshots.

Let s listen and learn. Elijah s life and times are as relevant to

this generation as those whose names appear in today s newspaper.

Perhaps more so!