God then told Elijah, "Get out of here, and fast." (17:2)As I read these chapters, I wonder if Elijah felt a little annoyance. God told him to move quickly and hang out at the Kerith Ravine and the ravens will feed you (chapter 17). When things dry up, go live with a widow and her son who are destitute...for a long, undetermined amount of time. Then, quite suddenly, God asks Elijah to move quickly again and God acts immediately with fire and the desperately needed rain followed. But, a prophet who values "spiritual formation over effective management" usually has a target on his back, so Elijah is off running again for dear life to Mount Horeb.
A long time passed. Then God's word came to Elijah..."Go..." (18:1)
Immediately the fire of God fell... Things happened fast.(18:38, 45)
What is God up to in this "hurry up and wait on Me" approach? Seems as if there could have been a more effective and efficient way to get the point across to Ahab and the prophets of Baal. Apparently, God isn't as concerned about efficiency and time as I am. He seems to be more concerned with presence, with Name.
"The Name - Yahweh - uniquely sets Israel's God apart from all the no-gods of the culture. The two mountains, Horeb and Carmel, are both Yahweh mountains, mountains on which the Name became the definitively preached text by Moses and Elijah...Four hundred years later Elijah preached the identical text to the people of Israel on Mount Carmel- Yahweh: being there, being present, bringing into being, or causing to be. The Name cannot be objectivized into an object, but must be responded to as personal, subjective presence. Being present to the Presence." (Eugene Peterson, The Jesus Way)It's difficult for me to be present in the moment with people who are flesh and blood, physically with me. I'm too concerned about what's next, where I need to be, what I need to prepare. Being present to the Presence is counter-cultural, counter-intuitive. It's what God was forming in Elijah and what God is asking of me.
I need to rush off now to pick up my daughter from school...I'll hurry up and then wait in traffic. Will I be present to my annoyances or present to the Presence?
1 comment:
It's interesting that Elijah was brave and willing to trust in God to humiliate the Baal prophets in front of Ahab and all of Israel. But on the heels of that spiritual victory, he runs away terrified when Jezebel threatens him.
I like God's question to him, "So Elijah, what are you doing here?" (19:9) So simple. Why are you running, Elijah? What are you so afraid of?
What an incredible picture of our God! He doesn't shame Elijah for his fear. He doesn't scold him. Instead, God shows Himself to Elijah in the quiet whisper that passes by, and He promises Elijah that there are others out there who are following God. Elijah is not alone.
I need to remember this story on hard days like today. I am not alone. God does not shame me or scold me when I don't measure up. If I will just turn to Him and open my eyes, God will show Himself to me and remind me of the truth about Him.
Post a Comment