"And Elijah said to Ahab, 'Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of abundance of rain'. So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed himself down upon the earth and put his face between his knees. And he said to his servant, 'Go up now, look toward the sea'. And he went up and looked and said, 'There is nothing'.
Elijah said, 'Go again seven times'.
And, at the seventh time, the servant said, 'A cloud as small as a man's hand is arising out of the sea'.
And Elijah said, 'Go up, say to Ahab, "Hitch your chariot and go down, lest the rain stop you".
In a little while, the heavens were black with wind-swept clouds, and there was a great rain."
(1 Kings 18:41-45)
Three years prior to this event, Elijah announced that his word would stop the rain and it would only be his word that would start it again (1 Kings 17:1). In this, he was not declaring that he was all-powerful; instead, he was declaring the power of God exhibited through prayers. His posture in prayer reflected great humility, and it was obvious that his relationship with God was very intimate. His primary concerns were for the people of Israel and that God would be glorified in the midst of their circumstances.
This particular day for Elijah had been long and intense. God had spoken to him and told him that He was going to send rain. Before He did, however, came a divine confrontation. The purpose of this confrontation was to expose idols, as well as to show the people of Israel the places of their spiritual compromise.
Elijah's prayers were going to be delayed this time. Despite the fact that he had seen God answer prayers instantaneously before, this time would prove to be different. So, he sent his servant seven times to the Mediterranean Sea to report any changes in the weather. The first report was negative, as were the five that followed. Literally, the servant saw nothing. That is, until he looked again.
Because Elijah was a prophet, the words he spoke were very important. The servant's reaction, however, was of equal importance. Elijah's servant took his responsibility very seriously. When he was told to look for rain, he immediately responded by going to look (1 Kings 18:43).
Both of them had to be engaged in what God was doing in order to see their miracle. This is because miracles come as a result of our obedience to God's Word. And, typically, this does not occur without some sort of testing or divine confrontation in our lives.
Most of us assume that our hearts are pure and that our thoughts are in alignment with God's Word. The prophet, Jeremiah, paints us a completely different picture. He says, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt! Who can know it [perceive, understand, be acquainted with his own heart and mind]? I, the Lord, search the mind and try the heart, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings" (Jeremiah 17:9-10).
God searches our minds and He tries our hearts so that He knows exactly how to reward us. God gives to us according to our actions. For us to truly know ourselves requires much effort. We have to read the Word and allow the Holy Spirit to teach us.
The prophet, Hosea, instructs us as well. He says, "Sow for yourselves according to righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God); reap according to mercy and loving-kindness. Break up your uncultivated ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, to inquire for and of Him, and to require His favor, till He comes and teaches you righteousness and rains His righteous gift of salvation upon you" (Hosea 10:12).
The uncultivated ground refers to the places in our hearts that are idle and have become hardened, or even full of weeds. The plow of conviction must break up these places so that the seed of God's Word can be planted. Only then can God send His gentle and merciful ran down upon the soil of our hearts.
Action is always required with faith. How we respond to God's Word and His ways will determine our results. When Naaman needed to be healed, Elisha gave him a simple and humbling act to obey (2 Kings 5:10). There were probably a million excuses Naaman could have named not to obey. Had he chosen not to obey, however, he never would have received his healing.
Faith that doesn't lead to obedience is not faith at all. A divine confrontation requires adjustments on our part. For example, we cannot live with bitterness or hatred in our hearts and expect to receive a miracle. The same is true with unforgiveness. If we are genuinely engaged in what God is doing and applying His Word to our lives, our hearts will undoubtedly change.
Revelation will be sustained by our reaction. While it is important what we believe, it is even more important what we do. James tells us that, "Faith apart from [its] works of obedience is dead" (James 2:26).
According to Smith Wigglesworth, "Faith is an act". He says that not only are we saved by faith, but we are also kept by faith. It is a substance, a deposit of God, that is an almighty flame that moves us to act so that we see miracles occur as a result. Faith takes us to the place where God reigns.
It is God's desire to move in our lives in a mighty way. It is our responsibility to believe and to obey all His precepts (not just the ones we choose). When we do, we can't just stop when we see nothing, we need to follow the example of Elijah's servant and go and look again!
"For as the rain and snow come down from the heavens, and return not there again, but water the earth and make it bring forth and sprout, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My Word be that goes forth out of My mouth: it shall not return to Me void [without producing any effect, useless], but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."
(Isaiah 55:10-11)
No comments:
Post a Comment