Raw Power — At a Price
The story of the man of God in 1 Kings 13 has come repeatedly to my attention lately. If you’re not familiar with this story, you might want to read the whole chapter, but basically the man of God cried out against the altar and prophesied something King Jeroboam didn’t like. When the king attempted to have the man of God arrested, the Lord withered his hand. The king then said, “Please entreat the favor of the Lord your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me” (vs. 6, NKJV). And the man of God did and it was.
You might know the end of the story. The man of God ended up disobeying part of the Word of the Lord to him on his way back home — he was told not to “eat bread, nor drink water, nor return by the same way [he] came'” (vs. 9, NKJV). But he disobeyed and it cost him his life. He was given raw power — but at a price.
Something I’ve noticed is that sometimes prophets and prophetic people can be held to different standards than anyone else, and it’s difficult to explain. Try telling someone you’ve gotten direction to buy a new vehicle, move to a different location or to not eat or drink anything and return a different way home! It’s not something most people can understand — but you know when you know what you know — you know?
All this to say that along with greater responsibility comes greater accountability. Maybe not in the extreme sense seen in 1 Kings 13, but it’s still true nonetheless. That’s the season I sense we’re entering into — raw power — but at a price.
Better Than Before
Remember how I said earlier [Prophetic Insight 9/27} I’d sensed a pattern? Here’s what I’m hearing. It’s been a season of loss — but I’m seeing the Lord just as quickly restoring it. Not in every area yet, mind you, but enough to realize that God is up to something. Sometimes something has to die before it can be replaced — like my laptop, for example — but it could also be a dream or a vision or a way you thought your life or ministry should look like or be. But the good news is that if God is in the picture, that loss can bring forth much fruit (John 12:24).
There’s a Scripture I want to leave you with but it’s important to understand the context. This was spoken during the darkest days of Judah’s history — the seventy-year period of Babylonian captivity. There had been monumental loss. Jerusalem had fallen in 587 B.C. Down came the walls, the Davidic line, the throne, even the temple came down — the place where the Shekinah glory dwell.
And into this situation came the word of the Lord to the land of Israel through Ezekiel: “I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bear young; I will make you inhabited as in former times, and do better for you than at your beginnings. Then you shall know that I am the Lord” (Ezek. 36:11, NKJV).
Be encouraged. Despite it having been a season of loss, it’s a season to press through open doors — not just stand still or draw back. The Lord has a plan to take your loss and restore it to better than before. Will you trust Him in this? {eoa}
Diane Lake is a writer, speaker and minister ordained with both Christian International and Generals International. Her articles are regularly featured on The Elijah List, as well as platforms like Charisma Magazine, Charisma News, Intercessors For America and others. She and her husband, Allen, co-founded Starfire Ministries with a vision to see the kingdom established beyond the four walls of the traditional church. They host a podcast with Charisma Podcast Network, and serve as church mountain, regional and Montana coordinators for the Reformation Prayer Network, and as media mountain leaders/facilitators for C.I.’s Culture Influencers.
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