Hamilton Smith (1862-1943), born in Barnes, Surrey, the son of a sea captain, was employed in the office of his uncle's building firm, where he was later joined by his cousin F B Hole. By 1901, married and living in Sutton, Surrey, with his wife and young family, he had retired from the building trade and entered full-time upon the task of building up the church of God. Later in life, he moved to Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, his wife Rachel's home county. His personal ministry was delivered in the United Kingdom, but his written ministry continues to be read worldwide. Along with H P Barker, A J Pollock, J T Mawson and F B Hole he frequently contributed articles to "Scripture Truth" magazine, which often provided the basis for books later published by the Central Bible Truth Depot. Hamilton Smith's written expositions of the Scriptures are brief, clear and very much to the point. This volume is one of a series of Old Testament character studies for which he is probably best known. It traces the major events of the life of Elijah, with all the highs and lows in his work as a prophet. He knew only too well the inadequacies of his own humanity.
But Elijah knew the living God, was conscious of His presence, and was aware that prayer brought him into contact with the greatest power in the universe. By experience, he comes to understand that the God of creation, power and judgment, is supremely the God of grace. At each step, the author presents clear, practical lessons for Christians today as they too seek to present God's word with authority to an indifferent or antgonistic world.