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

 

 

What Do We Hunger For?

Piece from a broken, Roman cistern.

 “A cistern is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Wikipedia.


At one time, God said, “For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me— the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!”  Jeremiah 2:13


We cannot live long without water. We can live longer, but not forever, without food. God uses many symbols throughout the Bible to give us a mental picture of life with or without him. Eating and drinking seems to be the most common symbol.


The verse above came to me when I was reading about Jesus speaking to the people he had fed with the bread and fish. Excited about getting free food, the people had at first tried to force Jesus to be King of Israel, but he stopped them and sent them home. The next day the people searched for Jesus and found him. They wanted him to be their ruler and make sure they had miraculous food all the time.


Some of them said, “Sir, give us this bread every day.”


Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Everyone who comes to me will never hunger and everyone who believes in me will never thirst.”             John 6:35,35


When the people heard this, most of them turned away from Jesus and didn’t follow him any longer. They realized he would not be the kind of king they desired. 


I’ve read about this many times, but sometimes when I am reading the Bible, the words seem to jump out at me and shine brightly. As I thought about what Jesus had said about drinking from him, I remembered what he said to the woman at the well.


He said, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It will become a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”   John 4:14 


Jesus also said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst to be a good person (or, for righteousness), for they will be satisfied.”   Matthew 5:6


So, I asked myself, “What have I hungered and thirsted for in this life?”


In my teens, a boyfriend to love me and babies to hold. In my twenties, a happy marriage and more money. Well, I did get the babies! And that was a fantastic gift from God. I also got a divorce and a second marriage. 


I did want to be a good person too. I wanted to be like God. But in my twenties and thirties, I would say the love of a man was what I most hungered and thirsted for. And when that love, or lack of love, was in bad shape, I was in bad shape too. 


I think in my forties and fifties, it was the love of my children and grandchildren I thirsted for the most. They became my idols. I was with God, yes. He lived in me, helped me and kept me going. But deep down I didn’t really believe he loved me, which kept me at arms length, I think. I liked having God in my life, but loving him was difficult.


In my sixties, I have finally fallen in love with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They are my everything, and give me so much joy. I do believe they love me.


I have found the love I hungered for in this world was not good enough when I got it. It never measured up to my expectations; it never filled me up; it never satisfied me. People can never do that for us; they are only human. They cannot be everything we need, but God can be and will be if we eat and drink from him through pouring out our hearts to him in prayer and studying his words in the Bible.