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Elijah, Spiritual formation
Elijah, Spiritual formation The Lessons of Elijah
Thursday, October 21, 2010 at 10:18PM “Elijah was a man just like us.” James 5:17
In my experience many Christians consider Christlikeness impossible in this life, yet expect an almost magical transformation of their character and faith immediately upon entry into the next life. I wonder: why would God, who shows the utmost respect for our freedom of choice and personality while we live on earth suddenly take control of our faith and choices in heaven? Does that sound like the Father’s way?
Monday’s Meditation challenged us to consider James’ suggestion that if becoming conformed to the image of Jesus is unimaginable, perhaps we could set our sights lower--on someone like Elijah. The same Elijah whose voice and piety intimidated kings and queens, whose trust in God manifested in his personal control of the weather for three years, and whose appetite for the power of God called down fire from heaven. That Elijah.
Why would the scripture include such incredible stories of people like Elijah? How can his narrative impact our lives? One of my younger friends replied that we should not expect the same miracles as the life of Elijah, but he is included in the Bible so we might imitate his faith. For me, the message of Elijah is precisely the opposite--faith for miracles may be easier than faith to believe that God cares for us, or faith to hear his voice. Here’s what I make of Elijah’s example:
“Seize the prophets of Baal! Don’t let anyone get away!” (1 Kings 18: 40) Elijah used the astonishing manifestation of fire from heaven as authority to order the execution of 400 men. Wouldn’t that have been the perfect moment to invite the pagan prophets to abandon their false gods in favor of the one True God? Yahweh was a demonstrably better choice. Instead, Elijah appealed to an impressionable crowd of people--themselves wavering in faith--to execute a humiliated foe. Could the tacit lesson be that miracle-working faith does not guarantee we have God’s heart? Jesus suggested that very thing in Matthew 7: 21-23.
“I am the only one left” (1 Kings 19: 10) Even after winning a spiritual showdown of Olympian proportions, Elijah felt isolated and alone. This rings true in our day: internationally-known preachers and musicians display a public image of confidence and power but are privately ravaged by their relational poverty. Having become rich in faith--the currency of the Kingdom--they discover their Kingdom riches do not guarantee intimacy with the Father. I have no idea why this is true, but I have seen it time and again.
“After the fire came a still, small voice.” (1 Kings 19: 12) The Father’s voice is not a matter of power, but of intimacy. Elijah, the prophet of the grand gesture, gravitated to the fire, the earthquake, and the windstorm. Yet the Lord was present in the stillness, not the tumult. E. Stanley Jones described the authority of God’s voice in this way: “the inner voice of God does not argue, does not try to convince you. It just speaks. It has the feel of the voice of God within it.” Another way of saying this is, “the entrance of your word brings light.” (Psalm 119:130)
I believe James when he says Elijah was a man just like us. I am capable of mistaking the grand gesture for his voice and missing the stillness of his presence. I am capable of misinterpreting God’s display of power as justification for violent actions. I am capable of making God’s work "all about me," foolishly thinking I’m the only one when in fact there are thousands close by.
Yet Elijah’s example needn’t be a cautionary tale: his life is also a picture of how God comes close to the depressed and broken, choosing them to represent him. His life is a picture of how God provides for us even when we run from our problems and simply would prefer to quit. His life is a picture of God’s desire to work through men to accomplish His ends, and in the process shape and transform those men in their weakest moments. His life is a picture of an older man who chooses and trains another to take his place--choosing to share freely what was purchased dearly.
Elijah’s life gives me hope not only for the miracles, but for the friendship of God. It assures me that I do not have to choose between the two.
Reader Comments (6)
Hey Ray!
First, miss working with ya but I'm continuing to read the blog...
Second,
You pondered, "In my experience many Christians consider Christ-likeness impossible in this life, yet expect an almost magical transformation of their character and faith immediately upon entry into the next life."
Could that be because of verses like 1John 3:2,"Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is."
Third thought,
You continued to ask, "I wonder: why would God, who shows the utmost respect for our freedom of choice and personality while we live on earth suddenly take control of our faith and choices in heaven? Does that sound like the Father’s way?"
Romans 6:12 says, "Therefore do not let sin reign in your -mortal- body so that you obey its lusts," and speaking about the final judgment Paul says in Romans 2:7, "to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and -immortality-, eternal life"
I think the change is that the choice of sin in the mortal body is removed...
Just a few thoughts off the top of my head for you,
Kristopher
Hi Kris:
So great to hear from you, and I wish you well in Louisville. Say "hi" to my good friend Dr. Al.
You raise an excellent point by quoting 1 John 3:2. I had considered this verse, and there will be an undeniable dynamic at work upon us when we encounter Him face-to-face. Your other point regarding the reign of sin relates to the John's passage as well. Namely, whom do we *allow* to reign in us now? For those who earnestly welcome the reign of Jesus in this life, His appearing will produce transformation, instantaneous and glorious because we will have met the object of our desire at last. But what of those who, day after day in this life, welcome the reign of sin and display no hunger for His appearing (now as well as then)?
I'm speaking of the substantial proportion of people who have "accepted Jesus" and prayed "the sinner's prayer" yet daily cultivate tastes and desires antithetical to the King and his Kingdom. If our gospel is merely the gospel of go-to-heaven when you die, without any connection to the presence of the King and the His Kingdom in this life, I believe we are defrauding the masses who have heard a gospel foreign to Jesus, his disciples, and the Church through the ages.
Another way of posing the question is, "what if you got to live forever but didn't like the life you got to live?"
Peace to you and your lovely family.
For clarity sake, the end of this writing is 'do have to choose between the two" or "don't have to choose between the two"....?
Yikes! Thanks, Janessa. I'm grateful for your help and sorry for my poor proofreading.
Yikes! Thanks, Janessa. I'm grateful for your help and sorry for my poor proofreading.
For clarity sake, the end of this writing is 'do have to choose between the two" or "don't have to choose between the two"....?