Don't Put God in A Box.

 

As I was writing this, it came to me I might have written about this subject before. My memory isn’t very good and my computer files are a mess because I know nothing about computers, so I can’t look it up. Nevertheless, I will post this anyway. Every time I read the Bible or listen to a good sermon I see more and understand more, so here it is:

I listened to a sermon by Tim Keller on Elijah the prophet. What he said was meaningful to me. He told us about the time Elijah was depressed and had run away from the king and queen of Israel. Queen Jezebel had threatened to kill him, so he ran and ran until exhausted, he came to a broom tree. He sat under it and asked God to take his life.

The day before this, Elijah had a contest with the pagan priests about who was the true God. They both built alters on top of a small mount and prayed for their gods to bring down fire. Only Elijah’s alter was set on fire from heaven. The people shouted, “The Lord, he is God.” Elijah left the mount and ran into the city with King Ahab. He was probably sure everything would now change for him, because previously the king and queen had been hunting for him to kill him.

But when Elijah heard the threat from Jezebel, he knew the demonstration of God’s power had not affected anything. He felt his work was a failure and it was over, but he was wrong. God had a lot more for him to do.

Twice, as Elijah lay there, an Angel of the Lord came and cooked warm bread and provided cool water for him. He said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” He did that and was given strength to walk in the wilderness for 40 days until he came to Mr. Horeb, which was known as the “Mountain of God.” It was the place God had met with Moses and the children of Israel.

So he got up and ate and drank. And strengthened by that food, he walked forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. The LORD Speaks to Elijah at Horeb There Elijah entered a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of Hosts,” he replied, “but the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life as well.” Then the LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD. Behold, the LORD is about to pass by.” And a great and mighty wind tore into the mountains and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a still, small voice. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”   1 Kings 19:8-13

“A Still Small Voice,” that was how the Lord was speaking with Elijah now, and perhaps that was how the Lord was speaking to the people of Israel now too. They had seen God’s great power in a fire from heaven, but now he would speak with them in their hearts. Pastor Keller said, “You can’t put God in a box.” He speaks to people in different ways all the time. He gives them dreams, visions, or just a small voice in our minds.

“And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.”  Isaiah 30:21

I have put God in a box many times. I think he is going to do something one way when he does it in a completely different way. Sometimes that way is very painful, yet it gets the results I want. Not in a way I would ever choose; I wouldn’t allow anyone to suffer in any way. But that’s me, I’m human and weak. God knows beauty comes out of ashes. I accept that. I may not like it, but I accept it. Pain is most likely the only thing that will bring us to God and eternal life.

Has God spoken through whirlwinds, earthquakes and fire? Yes, he has, but at the right time he speaks to us through a warm meal and a kind word.

This is what the Lord did with Elijah. He told him what he wanted him to do next, that his work was not done yet. So, Elijah obeyed and eventually God took him to heaven without ever passing through death.

The Still Small Voice – Timothy Keller [Sermon] - YouTube

 

 

Can God Set A Table in the Wilderness?

 

“They spoke against God, saying, ‘Can God spread a table in the wilderness? True, he struck the rock, and water gushed out, streams flowed abundantly, but can he also give us bread? Can he supply meat for his people?’"   Psalm 78-19.20

These verses are speaking of the nation of Israel when they wandered in the desert. God had been sending a food called manna for a long time but the people were tired of it. They wanted meat to eat instead. God said he would send meat, but even Moses asked God where he would get meat for these thousands of people. Then God sent a wind that blew quails into their camp and they ate.

These are dark times in the world. Not only are we living through a pandemic that has turned the world upside down, but there is strife and violence within the nations. Because of global warming, we could be facing another disaster: famine.

If this happens in Western nations, where we have had plenty of food to eat all our lives, violence will fill the land. People will kill even their own neighbors for food. I pray this won’t come to pass, but as Christians we need to fortify ourselves by asking God to strengthen us and also by believing He will feed us if there is ever a shortage of food. There are also many stories in the Bible of God feeding his followers when they needed it. God has shown us he will take care of his children during a famine.

When there was a famine in the land, God fed Elijah. “Then a revelation from the LORD came to Elijah: “Leave here, turn eastward, and hide yourself by the Brook of Cherith, east of the Jordan. And you are to drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”

“So, Elijah did what the LORD had told him, and he went and lived by the Brook of Cherith, east of the Jordan.  The ravens would bring him bread and meat in the morning and evening, and he would drink from the brook.  Some time later, however, the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land.” 1 Kings 17:2-7

God then sent Elijah to a widow whom he knew would feed him. “Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Get up and go to Zarephath of Sidon, and stay there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” Verse 8

“So Elijah got up and went to Zarephath. When he arrived at the city gate, there was a widow gathering sticks. Elijah called to her and said, “Please bring me a little water in a cup, so that I may drink.” And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread.”

But she replied, “As surely as the LORD your God lives, I have no bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. Look, I am gathering a couple of sticks to take home and prepare a meal for myself and my son, so that we may eat it and die.”

 “Do not be afraid,” Elijah said to her. “Go and do as you have said. But first make me a small cake of bread from what you have, and bring it out to me. Afterward, make some for yourself and your son, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be exhausted and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain upon the face of the earth.’ ”

So, she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and there was food every day for Elijah and the woman and her household. The jar of flour was not exhausted and the jug of oil did not run dry, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through Elijah.”

Notice how the widow obeyed and even served the prophet first? God sent Elijah to her because he knew her faith was great. She is a shining example for us.

When Jesus had been with crowds of people for days, he felt sorry for them and fed thousands of them with just a few fish and a little bread.

       In the book of Isaiah it is asked, “Who of us can dwell with a consuming fire?

Who of us can dwell with everlasting flames?”  

(The context is seeing God in his glory when he comes again.)

 

The answer is:

       “He who walks righteously

and speaks with sincerity,

who refuses gain from extortion,

whose hand never takes a bribe,

who stops his ears against murderous plots

and shuts his eyes tightly against evil—

 

he will dwell on the heights;

the mountain fortress will be his refuge;

his food will be provided

and his water assured. Your eyes will see the King in His beauty

and behold a land that stretches afar.

Your mind will ponder the former terror:

“Where is he who tallies? Where is he who weighs?

Where is he who counts the towers?”  Isaiah 33:14-18

 

Evil people can terrify us, but remember who made the earth, food, water  and animals. We will see the King in His beauty and wonder why we were afraid.

 

 

The Wilderness.

Photo by:

http://www.dsmedia.org/resources/illustrations/sweet-publishing

I’m reading in 1 Kings now and found many interesting and beautiful things about God. And I learned something new about Elijah, a great prophet of God.

You may know the story of when Elijah was on top of Mount Carmel. It hadn’t rained for three years because the people of Israel were worshipping Baal, an evil god to whom the people would sacrifice their live children by burning them to death.

Elijah told King Ahab to bring the people and the prophets of Baal to Mt. Carmel. They would have a contest between Baal and the Lord God. They would build altars and pray; whichever God answered by fire, he was the true God.

After many hours of praying, Baal did not answer. Elijah prayed and immediately fire came down from heaven consuming the sacrifice and altar. The people said, “The Lord, he is God.”

Elijah thought the nation would change; he thought Ahab would quit worshipping Baal and turn to God, but this did not happen. In fact, his wife Jezebel sent a message to Elijah telling him she would kill him by the end of the day.

Elijah ran. He ran into the desert, the same desert that Israel had to cross to get to the promised land. And this is the part I had forgotten; he wandered in the wilderness for 40 days.

I thought of Jesus and when he went into the wilderness for 40 days. I thought of Israel and how they had wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. God has patterns throughout the Bible and here was another one.

Most commentators of the Bible say Elijah was discouraged by the outcome of his work for God. He probably thought his work was fruitless and wondered why he had risked his life for nothing. He couldn’t see what God was doing or why. His faith in God was tested.

When Israel wandered through the wilderness, their faith was tested also. They came to a day when there was no water. They thought they were going to all die of thirst so they complained and wanted to go back to Egypt. They got angry at their situation. God provided them with water, not just once, but many times. They had no food left and were frightened. They didn’t trust God to feed them. They said, “Can God make a feast in the wilderness?” Yes, he can and he did. These things happened to make their trust in God strong but it didn’t work with that first generation.

For Jesus in the wilderness the test was the same. Did he trust his father? Would he complain about being hungry and save himself? No, he didn’t. He could have made the stones into bread but he knew if you or I were in the wilderness, we could not do that. He came to live a human life, depending on God for everything.

Joyce Meyer talks a lot about Christians going through a wilderness time. Everything around them feels dark and hopeless. They cannot see the way out and wonder why God allowed this to happen to them. We have a choice in these times, to trust and praise God in the midst of them, or to complain and rebel against him.

I found two songs lately that are so inspirational. The words are fitting for this subject.

No one can take away, my hallelujah.

No darkness can contain, my hallelujah.

Your cross has made the way, for my hallelujah.

From the song: My Hallelujah, by Brian and Katie Talwalt.

Give me hope like Moses in the wilderness.

Give me faith like Daniel in the lion’s den.

Give me a heart like David, Lord be my defense.

Then I can fight my giants with confidence.

From the song: Confidence, by Sanctus Real.

“No darkness can contain, my hallelujah.” We must not allow darkness to stop our praise and love towards God. Remember how Jesus and his disciples suffered. No one is immune to suffering; you are not alone. This world of pain is not our home; Jesus walks beside you.

Hills and Valleys.

Mt. Carmel: Wikipedia

I listen to Annie F. Downs who has a podcast called, “That’s Sounds Fun.” I listen to her on Spotify which also has a huge library of music. Sometimes Annie has musicians on her show. When she does, I go listen to some of their songs. I’ve found many beautiful Christian music this way. Listening to songs about God makes my heart soar, and there are always good lessons in the lyrics.

One song I found recently is called, “Hills and Valleys,” sung by Tauren Wells.  It is my favorite song right now. What I find in Christian music is that I can put myself in the lyrics or I think of the people from the Bible. “Hills and Valleys” speaks to the fact we all go through highs and lows in our spiritual lives. I wish I had known that as a young Christian because then I might not have been so despairing in my low times. I thought I was a bad Christian and I just didn’t know how to live the life and have faith like other Christians.

When I first heard this song, I imagined myself on hills and going through valleys. But I’m afraid my hills aren’t very inspiring. With my psychological makeup I have been mostly slogging through valleys. So, I thought about people in the Bible. First there is Moses. He was on the mountaintop with God. He spoke face to face with God. He was given the tablets of the Ten Commandments written with God’s own finger. But then there were his valleys. He spent 40 years travelling around the desert with a bunch of people that kept complaining until he finally lost his temper and God did not appreciate it. Still, like the song says, he kept his eyes on God. He didn’t turn away. And he was a humble man He knew he didn’t get to that mountaintop on his own. It was God who made him what he was, a great man of faith, and when he was in the valley, God himself buried him.

Then there is Elijah. He was on the mountaintop with God on Mt. Carmel. He prayed and fire came down from heaven to prove God was God of the whole world and there was none other. Like the song says, he didn’t get there on his own, but that same day, Elijah became afraid and ran away from Queen Jezebel. He didn’t ask God what to do, he just ran for his life. He was in a valley. He ran for miles and miles and even told God he wanted to die. He was discouraged, but he kept his eyes on God. He ran, but he didn’t run from God and God sent an angel to help him.

Jesus. He was on a few mountaintops. He gave the Sermon on the Mount. He climbed a mountain with Peter, James and John. As he was praying, Moses and Elijah came down from heaven to talk with him about his death. He was transfigured there and became bright as the sun. But very soon after that he walked through the Kidron Valley to the Mt. of Olives, there to go through his greatest suffering. When Jesus was on mountaintops, he didn’t get there on his own either. His Father was with him. He said he did nothing without the Father. And through his valley, he kept praying and keeping his eyes on his Father who sent an angel to strengthen him.

In each of these stories, God took each one to heaven after they had gone through a valley. So, don’t be discouraged if you are going through a valley right now. One day, either here or in heaven, you will be standing on a mountaintop with God.

Running Away from Home.

Who am I?

I'm a runner.

I'm 65 years old and I'm learning things about aging that aren't pleasant. Along with the physical problems comes the emotional ones. I think I have done a good job in facing this last leg of my journey with God; well, I haven't, but God has. He has shown me a lot about myself. He can do that when you have lots of time on your hands.

One thing I've learned lately is that living in the same city for over 35 years can be hard when you are older. Everywhere I go there are memories, memories of doing things with my children and grandchildren. Happy memories and sad memories. Whether happy or sad, the memories brought tears to my eyes today. I was out and about today, which is kind of rare for me, and everywhere I turned I saw the grandchildren I love so much.

When I got home, I said to my husband, "I wish we could move away for our retirement. I'd like to be somewhere new." I explained to him why I felt this way, but he reminded me we need to be near his doctors and hospital. We do need to be near a hospital, but Vancouver has a good one. The problem with Vancouver is that is where I babysat my grandsons. Happy and sad memories there too.

I realized tonight it is just me being me again. Always wanting to run away from pain; thinking I can find relief in a change of scenery. Running away instead of running to God.

Years ago, when I had a mental breakdown, I ran off to stay at my sister's place near Las Vegas. I ended up staying there for 3 months. It was a nice rest, but the same problems were there when I went home. After that, we would all joke about me "going Vegas" when I was depressed. Yes, there was that possibility! At least I had somewhere fun to go!

Who is God?

Someone who is used to having people run away.

Adam and Eve ran away and hid from God. I think God has an advantage in the game of hide & seek, so of course God sought them out and found them.

Jonah ran away, but God wouldn't let him go. For some unknown reason, God wanted Jonah to preach to and save some sinners. Sinners whom Jonah hated! And I guess that's why God chose him. God has a good sense of humor, and he will do some strange stuff to help us learn to love.

Elijah ran away because he was afraid of dying. God ran after him; he gave him food, water and rest until Elijah was ready to talk things out.

All of Jesus' friends ran away when Jesus was arrested because they were afraid they would be arrested too. But Jesus told them beforehand it would happen so they wouldn't be too ashamed or discouraged. Then, when they didn't believe the women who told them Jesus rose from the dead, Jesus sought them out and entered the room where they met each day.

God is pretty humble. He runs after us every time. He's pretty patient and loving too. I'm so glad we have a God like that. One who will chase after us and maybe say something like he said to Elijah, "Why are you here?"

How Does God Speak to People who Disobey Him?

Who is God?

I was reading Genesis and it struck me how God deals with people who have disobeyed him. He always gives them a chance to talk with him about it. He doesn't come rushing in angry and yelling; he gives them a chance to confess and explain and ask for his help and forgiveness. Here are a few examples of how he treated people.

Genesis 3

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”  (of course God knew where they were)
He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Genesis 4

Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

The Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. 

1 Kings 19:9

Elijah ran away from King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. He was frightened for his life. Elijah usually only went where God told him to go. Not this time. 

"There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him: 'What are you doing here, Elijah?'"  
Elijah was a Godly man and he talked with God about what he had done.

Matthew 26:

Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man; arrest him." 

Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him. Jesus replied, "Do what you came for, friend." 

 Jesus calls Judas his "friend."  He told Judas at the last supper he knew he was going to betray him; yet even now he now calls him a friend. He is still hoping Judas will confess and ask for forgiveness. But apparently, Judas' heart couldn't be persuaded by Jesus' love.

God gave all these people a chance to explain themselves. I think how God talks with people shows who he is. He isn't some scary guy looking for us to make a mistake and toss us aside. He is continually looking for ways to talk with us. He loves us so much he will keep trying to reach people until their hearts are too hard to even hear him anymore. That's who God is.

Who am I?

I'm like Elijah. I'm afraid of a lot of things. I've tried running, but God always finds me. He is always good to me and infinitely patient.