1 Kings 19:1-18
In order to understand the power of 1 Kings 19, we need to remind ourselves briefly of chapter 18. In it, we get what might be the pinnacle of Elijah’s prophetic career. He openly challenges the prophets of Baal before the eyes of the nation of Israel to a “battle of the gods” and they are defeated in an astounding and shocking fashion—God rains fire down from heaven before them all.
Then, within only a few hours, Queen Jezebel threatened Elijah’s life and, as the text notes, “Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life.” (vs. 3) In the resulting flight, Elijah disappears into the wilderness and asks God to let him die. God’s reaction to his prophet’s severe anxiety and depression is a window into God’s marvelous care for his children. Not only does God not let Elijah die, he takes care of him, body and soul, and by the end of chapter 19 Elijah is back in action.
The first thing God does is feed Elijah and let him sleep.
“And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, ‘Arise and eat.’…And he ate and drank and lay down again.” (vs. 5, 6)
Taking care of ourselves physically when we are in a season of depression is necessary to our recovery. We are not just minds and souls, but an elaborate combination of soul and body.
Then God begins to work on Elijah spiritually as well. God sends him on a journey to Mount Horeb, otherwise known as Sinai. This is the place where God first established the covenant with Moses, and it is here where Elijah despairs of it all and declares that all Israel has forsaken the covenant and he is the only remaining prophet. Then God does something interesting. He tells Elijah to look for him on the mountain.
Then, famously, a great wind, an earthquake, and fire come and go, but the Lord was not in any of them. Absolutely crucial to what God is doing to Elijah is the fact that he has been in those manifestations before. When God talked with Job and his friends, he appeared in a whirlwind. When God cleansed the Israelite camp of wickedness, he cracked the ground open and swallowed evil. And just a few days earlier, God spoke to the nation of Israel through fire before Elijah’s very eyes. But this time, the Lord was not in any of them. Instead, he shows up in “a low whisper.” (vs. 12)
Who hears a whisper? Only one—the one for whom it is intended.
This is a story about God speaking to Elijah. When God wants to get the attention of dozens, thousands, or an entire nation, the wind blows, the earth shakes, and fire rains down from heaven. But right now, God’s prophet sits alone in a cave, broken and hopeless. In my mind’s eye I picture Elijah sitting in the cave, his shoulders hunched and his head hung. The wind comes and the cave walls shake, but he doesn’t move. The earth buckles around him but he remains still. Fire consumes the mouth of the cave, and he does not stir. Then silence, and God walks into the cave, sits down beside his prophet, leans over and whispers, “Elijah!” Then Elijah stands up and wraps his face in his cloak because he knows God is talking to him.
Elijah knows God speaks to the multitudes; now he knows God speaks to him. Now he knows God cares for him.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Embracing the Hiddenness of God: Luke 24
Luke 24:13-35
Have you gone through a season in your faith when God just seemed to be absent? Despite all your need and maybe even your effort to communicate with him, God was just silent? One of the most difficult of all seasons in life occurs when God is hidden from our eyes. And, it turns out, it is one of the most common experiences among God’s faithful. When we scan Scripture for wisdom on what to do when God seems to forsake us, we find stories and wisdom from Genesis to Revelation. The story that caught my attention, though, is the walk two disciples took from Jerusalem to Emmaus.
The story of the Road to Emmaus begins this way:
“That very day, two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened.” (vs. 13-14)
“That very day.” Which day? Luke 24 opens on the morning of the third day after Christ’s crucifixion. Verse 13 takes us to the afternoon of the very day Christ rose from the dead. We will discover that not only were these two disciples aware of all the amazing and miraculous things that happened during Christ’s crucifixion, but they were also aware that the women had seen an empty tomb and were told that Jesus was alive.
What then was the tone of their conversation? Verses 18-27 show us that they were not filled with hope and anticipation for the risen Messiah. In fact, they called Jesus a “prophet” (not the Messiah), and when they were done, Jesus was irritated and explained to them that the risen Messiah was prophesied about long ago. To these two disciples, despite all that happened over the last three years and last three days, God had forsaken them and their Messiah was dead.
The twist to the story is that the risen Jesus is standing there with them, but, as verse 16 tells us, “their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” The language there means the fault was with the disciples—they were spiritually blind at this moment.
If we are in the disciple’s shoes at this moment, God has forsaken them. From our perspective, we see that Jesus is standing right there beside them.
Sometimes, when God is hidden from us, it is our fault. Often through neglect, we grow cold in our relationship with God. When we neglect prayer and Scripture, we should not be surprised if they feel “dead” when we reengage. When we neglect church or our spiritual disciplines, it will be natural that we have a hard time recognizing God.
Sometimes the problem is cultural conformity. Because we do not allow Christ to replace this world at the center of our souls, we are more children of this world than children of God. Romans 12:2 is enlightening in this context—when we are conformed to Christ, we can discern better what the will of God really is.
And the problem the two disciples had was simply a lack of faith. Though they walked and talked with Jesus and were aware of all the events of the weekend, they did not believe Jesus had actually risen from the grave. After all, that would be something no one else had ever done.
Jesus is great enough to do things you might consider impossible. Do I lack the faith to believe that God exists and that he is not silent? Can I truly believe that the risen Christ is walking and talking with me even now?
Have you gone through a season in your faith when God just seemed to be absent? Despite all your need and maybe even your effort to communicate with him, God was just silent? One of the most difficult of all seasons in life occurs when God is hidden from our eyes. And, it turns out, it is one of the most common experiences among God’s faithful. When we scan Scripture for wisdom on what to do when God seems to forsake us, we find stories and wisdom from Genesis to Revelation. The story that caught my attention, though, is the walk two disciples took from Jerusalem to Emmaus.
The story of the Road to Emmaus begins this way:
“That very day, two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened.” (vs. 13-14)
“That very day.” Which day? Luke 24 opens on the morning of the third day after Christ’s crucifixion. Verse 13 takes us to the afternoon of the very day Christ rose from the dead. We will discover that not only were these two disciples aware of all the amazing and miraculous things that happened during Christ’s crucifixion, but they were also aware that the women had seen an empty tomb and were told that Jesus was alive.
What then was the tone of their conversation? Verses 18-27 show us that they were not filled with hope and anticipation for the risen Messiah. In fact, they called Jesus a “prophet” (not the Messiah), and when they were done, Jesus was irritated and explained to them that the risen Messiah was prophesied about long ago. To these two disciples, despite all that happened over the last three years and last three days, God had forsaken them and their Messiah was dead.
The twist to the story is that the risen Jesus is standing there with them, but, as verse 16 tells us, “their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” The language there means the fault was with the disciples—they were spiritually blind at this moment.
If we are in the disciple’s shoes at this moment, God has forsaken them. From our perspective, we see that Jesus is standing right there beside them.
Sometimes, when God is hidden from us, it is our fault. Often through neglect, we grow cold in our relationship with God. When we neglect prayer and Scripture, we should not be surprised if they feel “dead” when we reengage. When we neglect church or our spiritual disciplines, it will be natural that we have a hard time recognizing God.
Sometimes the problem is cultural conformity. Because we do not allow Christ to replace this world at the center of our souls, we are more children of this world than children of God. Romans 12:2 is enlightening in this context—when we are conformed to Christ, we can discern better what the will of God really is.
And the problem the two disciples had was simply a lack of faith. Though they walked and talked with Jesus and were aware of all the events of the weekend, they did not believe Jesus had actually risen from the grave. After all, that would be something no one else had ever done.
Jesus is great enough to do things you might consider impossible. Do I lack the faith to believe that God exists and that he is not silent? Can I truly believe that the risen Christ is walking and talking with me even now?
Friday, October 13, 2006
Minds on Fire: Daniel 1
Daniel 1
Christ was once asked what the greatest commandment in the Law was. His response, which he said encompassed all the Law and the Prophets, included the directive to love God with all our minds. We don’t always take time to look into what this means, but it is clear that we should. Scripture declares the importance of the life of our minds, and our lives should reflect that result. We should have minds on fire for God.
So what does a mind on fire look like? The story of Daniel and his friends gives us a great gateway into this question. As the book of Daniel opens we find that he and his friends have been forcibly removed from an enviable position in Jerusalem. They were among the best of their day, well educated, and probably on their way to positions of influence in Judah. They are described this way:
“Israelites from the royal family and nobility—young men who were healthy and handsome, intelligent and well-educated, good prospects for leadership positions in the government, perfect specimens!—and indoctrinate them in the Babylonian language and the lore of magic and fortunetelling.” (vs. 3-4, Message)
So why did God lead them into exile? Well, we have already answered the question. God needed people of strong character, faith, and who had exercised their minds in positions of power in Babylon. Not just anybody could influence the courses of two major world empires.
This is the first lesson of minds on fire for God: God can use them! Daniel’s exile is no punishment or divine neglect—it is strategic positioning. It is exactly because Daniel had a developed and alert mind that God was able to use him to do things many of his contemporaries simply were not.
The second and third lessons are in the story of Daniel and his friends refusing the Babylonian food in favor of a kosher diet. They did not want to risk eating food or drinking wine that had been sacrificed to pagan gods or was simply against their dietary laws, so they requested a diet of nothing but vegetables and water.
We all want to be faithful to God when the pressure or confusion comes, and that is a laudable sentiment. But as we see in Daniel, not only did he desire to be faithful, he knew how to do it. Because Daniel’s mind was fixed on his God he knew exactly what to do when the time came.
Then, as a result, Daniel and his friends were found to be ten times better than everyone else. Living in accord with their faith and worldview lead to lives that flourished. They were not exempt from struggle and persecution, but they flourished as they conformed their lives to the laws and will of God.
Finally, Daniel changed his world. God used a man who developed his capacities to their maximum to literally move the hearts of kings and nations. Minds on fire change things!
Is this love for God a little neglected in my life? Have I even paid attention to what it looks like for me in my situation? Take another step toward fulfilling the greatest commandment, and begin to develop a mind that loves its God deeply and powerfully. Maybe God can use you to change something.
Christ was once asked what the greatest commandment in the Law was. His response, which he said encompassed all the Law and the Prophets, included the directive to love God with all our minds. We don’t always take time to look into what this means, but it is clear that we should. Scripture declares the importance of the life of our minds, and our lives should reflect that result. We should have minds on fire for God.
So what does a mind on fire look like? The story of Daniel and his friends gives us a great gateway into this question. As the book of Daniel opens we find that he and his friends have been forcibly removed from an enviable position in Jerusalem. They were among the best of their day, well educated, and probably on their way to positions of influence in Judah. They are described this way:
“Israelites from the royal family and nobility—young men who were healthy and handsome, intelligent and well-educated, good prospects for leadership positions in the government, perfect specimens!—and indoctrinate them in the Babylonian language and the lore of magic and fortunetelling.” (vs. 3-4, Message)
So why did God lead them into exile? Well, we have already answered the question. God needed people of strong character, faith, and who had exercised their minds in positions of power in Babylon. Not just anybody could influence the courses of two major world empires.
This is the first lesson of minds on fire for God: God can use them! Daniel’s exile is no punishment or divine neglect—it is strategic positioning. It is exactly because Daniel had a developed and alert mind that God was able to use him to do things many of his contemporaries simply were not.
The second and third lessons are in the story of Daniel and his friends refusing the Babylonian food in favor of a kosher diet. They did not want to risk eating food or drinking wine that had been sacrificed to pagan gods or was simply against their dietary laws, so they requested a diet of nothing but vegetables and water.
We all want to be faithful to God when the pressure or confusion comes, and that is a laudable sentiment. But as we see in Daniel, not only did he desire to be faithful, he knew how to do it. Because Daniel’s mind was fixed on his God he knew exactly what to do when the time came.
Then, as a result, Daniel and his friends were found to be ten times better than everyone else. Living in accord with their faith and worldview lead to lives that flourished. They were not exempt from struggle and persecution, but they flourished as they conformed their lives to the laws and will of God.
Finally, Daniel changed his world. God used a man who developed his capacities to their maximum to literally move the hearts of kings and nations. Minds on fire change things!
Is this love for God a little neglected in my life? Have I even paid attention to what it looks like for me in my situation? Take another step toward fulfilling the greatest commandment, and begin to develop a mind that loves its God deeply and powerfully. Maybe God can use you to change something.
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