1 Kings 19:1-9 - Now Ahab told
Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the
prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal
with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make
your life like that of one of them.”
Elijah was afraid and
ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left
his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came
to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have
had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the bush and fell
asleep.
All at once an
angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked around,
and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water.
He ate and drank and then lay down again.
The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and
said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” So he got up and
ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty
nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the
night.
You may have noticed that today’s reading immediately follows the
dramatic showdown on Mount Carmel between Elijah and the prophets of Baal we
read yesterday. What a stark contrast we
see in our hero Elijah! The cocky
bravado on Mount Carmel has turned into running for his life and praying that
he might die. The blatant defiance of
King Ahab has turned into desperate fleeing from Ahab’s treacherous
Baal-worshipping wife Jezebel. Oh the
ups and downs of a prophet!
It’s not just prophets that are plagued with this roller coaster
ride. I remember the day I performed my
first wedding. My memory of that day is
glorious even 28 years later. I was
serving a charge of four small country churches in northeast Georgia as a
student pastor and the wedding was in the largest of those churches, Raytown
UMC. I was really nervous about the
wedding which was to take place right after worship that Sunday. It was a really fun day. The church was full (not the norm), the
worship was lively, my sermon was awesome (that’s the way I choose to remember
it 😉), and the wedding went off without a hitch despite my
nervousness. It really was a great day.
Barbara and I drove back to Atlanta late that afternoon because I
had seminary classes the next day. That
night we had dinner with some friends and after dinner we were visiting and
laughing and I was telling them about our wonderful day of ministry when the
phone rang. The deep voice of Nolan, my
Lay Leader from Raytown was on the other end of the call.
“Eric, my heart is
broken. Our church just burned down.”
I don’t remember the
rest of the conversation after that because I felt like I had been punched in
the stomach by Muhammad Ali.
We drove back over the next morning and I will never forget the
sight of seeing nothing but smoldering ashes surrounding the brick stairway to
what used to be a beautiful 104-year-old wooden country church building. Many of the church members were there buried
in their grief for a loss they had no words to express.
The feeling I remember that day was the exact opposite of the day
before. I had felt affirmed and
confident in my call the day before. Now
I was feeling like these grieving people needed a way more gifted pastor than I
to help them through that time. But they
had me and I honestly felt sorry for them and for myself. Although Elijah had much more justification
than I, I certainly identify with his little pity party before God.
“Get up and eat,” the
messenger Angel said to Elijah. It took
two times before Elijah resumed his journey.
I don’t remember how my little pity party ended, but somehow, God
also gave me the strength to “get up” and resume my work. Raytown UMC and I muddled through the next
few months and exactly 200 days after the church burned, we worshipped in and
consecrated a new church building, another ministry high for me.
The life of following God is for most of us a series of ups and
downs. The temptation sometimes is to
get off the roller coaster. But God’s
gentle message to us in those dark moments is “get up.” You need strength for the road ahead and so
I’ve provided some nourishment. Elijah
went on to many more years of faithful service after that day under the broomy
bush when he wanted to die. We can all
do the same in the strength that the same God of Elijah provides.
Prayer: God help us look for your provision when we
feel unable to keep going. Amen.
Prayer Focus: Pray for people who are planning to take some
time off this summer (including me).
Pray that God will give them the nourishment and support they need to “get
up” and resume the long journey.
Song: Matt Redman –
You Never Let Go
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