In his day, a good number of people were stunned by Elijah’s spectacular display of power. His life was speckled with so much glamour. I can tell you that it was really awe-inspiring to pray and call down fire from heaven. Folks were dazed by the fact that a mere man could possess such power as to command the heavens to hold back rain.  Overtaking on foot a king who was on a chariot simply iced it all for him.

It must have been quite exciting to do all those things that Elijah did; and he could well have gotten caught up in the glamour. He could have been lost in the accolade and the applause of the people. It was possible for him to have become enthralled by the wonder and amazement of the people of Israel who witnessed these things. However, Elijah never lost sight of the fact that all the manifestations that happened in his life were just means to an end. He did not let the glamour blind him.

This was why while the crowds were screaming and shouting, Elijah’s mind was somewhere else. He ran back to the city. He dashed back to check whether all those demonstrations had created the effect and the result he desired in the nation. Elijah went looking out for signs of progress and change, but didn’t see any. Instead, what he got was a message from Jezebel threatening to kill him…

 “Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”
~ 1 Kings 19:1,2

and so he thought, ‘what’s the point?’

“Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD”, he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors”.”
~1 Kings 19:3,4

He fled to the desert to talk to God. He reasoned that his ancestors who never did any of the things he did were better off than him, because there was nothing in his life to show for all the glamour. He refused to allow the glamour of his spectacular displays on Mt. Carmel blind him to the reality that the fire from heaven changed nothing in the city.

Take a cue from Elijah; don’t let the glamour blind you!