Elijah

Hiding in a cave, sucking his thumb in a fit of self pity and exhaustion, Elijah declared that he, and he alone had been faithful in service to God. He was the only one who had kept God's covenant with Israel; the only one who had overthrown the altars to Baal; the only one who had challenged the false prophets - and now he is the only one left.

This is the answer Elijah gave when asked by God, "What are you doing here?" Now, I don't claim to be an Elijah. Like many of the great men of God whose lives are recorded in the Scriptures, I admire him and aspire to his courage. Sadly, I find that I am less like him in his moments of courage and more like him in his fits of self pity. I understand why Elijah is hiding in this cave. He is exhausted physically and emotionally. He has just won a great spiritual victory over the prophets of Baal but now, he is just tired.

There is an interesting exchange between Elijah and God in the 19th chapter of I Kings. Elijah, having received death threats from Jezebel has fled to the wilderness. As he is there the Lord ministers to him, feeds him, and eventually confronts him. "What are you doing here?"

Elijah answers, "I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." (v. 10)

In reply, the Lord took Elijah to a mountain where he manifested Himself in four ways: a great wind, an earthquake, and a massive fire, and finally, a still small voice. Most readers will remember that God was not found in the wind, the earthquake or the fire - but only in the still small voice. But then, God asks Elijah again, "What are you doing here?" Elijah replies with a remarkably fresh answer, ""I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." (v. 14). Same song, same tired old verse.

Elijah didn't really know why he was there. He just knew he was tired and scared and alone. He had spent most of his life alone - a single voice speaking out against the wickedness of Ahab and Jezebel. It gets old, and it gets to you sometime. What Elijah needed was a fresh word from God. Even his spiritual victory at Mt. Carmel could not replenish his spirit the way a fresh word from the Lord could. He needed to hear God and when he did - he didn't feel alone anymore. I am so there. I need a fresh word from God. Not from a friend and not from a prophet and not from a preacher - but from the mouth of God. Not in great and terrible manifestations, wind and earthquake and fire; but a still small voice.

In some ways, and for this reason, I have exiled myself to the wilderness for a season. I have taken a leave from the church for six weeks not only because I am tired (emotionally and spiritually), but I need a fresh word from the mouth of God. We live in terrible and frightening times and men's hearts are failing in fear - I know God is doing something costly in the Body. I choose my word carefully here - I say "costly" because great things are always costly. I hear men prophesying that God is getting ready to do something wonderful and magnificent - a "new thing;" and I agree. What the preachers often fail to mention is that great things are usually costly things. I am confident that there are men and women who are like the "7000" ( a perfect number) who had not bowed the knee to Baal - in the church, and I am so grateful for them - but right now, I find myself sitting under a Juniper tree, waiting to hear what He will say - to me.

God does His best work in the worst of times!

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." So begins "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens. I was thinking about those classic words today as I made my way along the 65 mile stretch of highway between Brattleboro and White River Jct., VT. The greatest victories are won in the most daunting challenge; the greatest joys leap from the deepest despair, and the brightest light emerges out of the deepest darkness.

We all want to see miracles, but most of us don't want to be in the circumstances where such miracles are birthed. We want to see expressions of God's awesome power but we shy away from the precipice for fear that God's power will fail us in the time of danger. The disciples rode the terrifying waves in the storm on the Sea of Galilee but it was in this very place they saw Jesus' awesome authority over the seas and the wind. Had they been in a canoe on a shallow pond they would have been safe but God's power would have been hidden from them. We want to observe God's might from a safe distance lest something go terribly wrong.

However, one will not be exposed to the miracle without first being exposed to the danger. You cannot see the awesome demonstration of His might from a bleacher; you have to be on the playing field; and no one is ever rescued from a safe place. Jesus got into the boat one day with his disciples as they fished close in to the shore and said to them, "Launch out into the deep." When they did - they took in a great catch. You see, you can catch fish in close to the shore, but the really great catch; the miraculous one is out in deep water away from the safety of the shore. To truly enjoy the exhilaration of knowing His great power you have to cast off the shore lines and launch into deep water. The shore lines keep us moored in safety, but we can never truly make the big catch from that place.

As I have gotten older, I have developed a deep hunger to experience more and more of the awesomeness of God. No, I am not interested in the cheap, side show existentialism that so many are willing to settle for but I do want to stand on the deck in the midst of the storm and hope that Jesus will invite me to come to Him on the waves. I planning a trip to Brazil in September, but instead of flying all the way to my destination, I have elected to travel the final 600 miles on a native line boat up the Amazon simply because it seems I have rediscovered a sense of adventure that I think I misplaced for a while.

Our little family camp in White River is facing deep and troubling waters as our historic old facilities have come face to face with the 21st century. We are going to be required to meet codes and standards that quite honestly I don't think we can do. I was thinking about this as the mile posts clipped by on my 6th trip to the camp in 8 days, "We can't do it." However, as the words of Charles Dickens began to sing a little tune in my head I realized we are in precisely the kind of situation where you are supposed to expect the unexpected; hope in the midst of hopelessness, and sing the victory song before the battle is over. This is precisely the place where God can demonstrate His awesome power and absolute authority and take all the glory for Himself. This is "best of times, it is the worst of times," because our Lord always does His best work in the worst of times. It really doesn't matter that we can't do it, because He can.

The miles began to fly by as I made my way back to camp to calculate sheetrock and wiring needs and for a while the burden began to lay just a bit lighter on my heart as I realized that I may be living right square in the eye of a storm - but that's a perfect vantage point from which to see the hand of God with my own eyes.