Tag: 1 Kings 17

God in the Chaos?

After embarrassing the prophets of Baal, the king’s wife — Jezebel — swears out a death sentence against Elijah. And so he fled. God sustained him through the journey and brought him to Mt Sinai. Then we have the famous story of Elijah’s experience of the wind and earthquake and fire, but God was not in any of those. Rather He was in the quiet whisper that followed.

My takeaway is this: God is always God. Even in the chaos and noise. Never stop trusting in Him and holding fast to the Rock of our salvation. BUT if you want to hear from God, to get direction from God, to be led by God… don’t sit in the madness and wait for Him to shout over all the distractions and turmoil and bedlam. Find a moment of silence to seek the Lord and listen purposefully to Him without the distractions competing DIRECTLY for your attention. Consider this story about the mother of John & Charles Wesley, via Sharon Glasgow:

When Susanna was young, she promised the Lord that for every hour she spent in entertainment, she would give to Him in prayer and in the Word.  Taking care of the house and raising so many kids made this commitment nearly impossible to fulfill. She had no time for entertainment or long hours in prayer!  She worked the gardens, milked the cow, schooled the children and managed the entire house herself.  So, she decided to instead give the Lord two hours a day in prayer!

She struggled to find a secret place to get away with Him.  So she advised her children that when they saw her with her apron over her head, that meant she was in prayer and couldn’t be disturbed.  She was devoted to her walk with Christ, praying for her children and knowledge in the Word no matter how hard life was.

If she can do it. You can do it, too. Let’s be intentional about finding time for God!

Does God Help Those Who Help Themselves?

We are told that Asa is a good king of Judah and that he did not do evil in the sight of the Lord. BUT… when the kingdom of Israel starts closing in on his territory, he quickly seeks aid from a foreign nation — Aram — even paying them from the royal treasury. His plan is successful and Judah is back in a good position.

Well, not long afterward a messenger is sent by the Lord to tell Asa that he should have called on God to help rather than some foreign nation! Then Jonah would have security against rebel-Israel AS WELL AS defeating the armies of Aram. God was not in this move.

Contrast this with the actions of his son, Jehoshaphat. He sent out TEACHERS with GOD’S WORD throughout the land of Judah. And they taught the people the ways of God. And this led to FEAR among the surrounding nations, who all gave gifts to Judah in an attempt to remain on their good side! Without uttering a threat or raising a sword, peace and prosperity came to Judah.

So then what do we make of the old adage that “God helps those who help themselves”? It might surprise you to know the phrase started in Ancient Greece and referred to the ‘gods’. I also think it makes a mockery of our faith, if I’m being brutally honest. It essentially communicates that God doesn’t really do anything other than take credit for YOUR hard work. No, I think the trust is that hard work yields positive results. But trusting in the Lord yields the BEST results.

So trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, but rather seek the kingdom of God FIRST and all things shall be added.