Preparing God's Servants
Series Introduction
(1) After a long time, in the third year, the word of the Lord came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the land.” (2) So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria, 1 Kings 18:1-2 (NIV)
(8) For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, (9) not of works, lest anyone should boast. (10) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:8-10 (NKJV)
Thomas Paine (a Founding Father, scholar, and American Patriot) once wrote: “THESE are the times that try men's souls… Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods;…” Paine wrote this in a pamphlet that is called: The American Crisis and here we are almost 250 years later facing a new crisis- a Global Pandemic- another time of “trying men’s souls” specifically, for us, our Christian souls. I’m writing this devotion as Carri, Carrmin and I are in quarantine after our trip to Florida and like us y’all are practicing social distancing, and the art of “postponement” for the benefit of our Country and the welfare of others and that is a good and noble thing! But, in my encouragement to you today I want you to not just practice those words… (social distancing and postponement) I want you to “reframe” those words in your minds- the “renewed” transformed minds that have been given to you by the Spirit- the Mind of Christ and encourage others to do likewise. Social Distancing for the Christian is the opportunity of Solitude/stillness, and postponement is a gift for Preparation- preparation for the good works of God that He has prepared in advance for us to do. What do I mean? Take a look at the scriptures above and the commentary below…
1st King’s 18 begins with the words, “After a long time…” Elijah and Israel had been going through a long time of uncertainty: drought, being fed by ravens, a handful of flour, a little bit of oil, sudden illness, death, revival. A lot of “just barely getting by- crisis mode”. Do you think people were anxious? Do you think Elijah, and the suffering people of God- surrounded by a pagan society questioned what God was up to? Where was the “Word of the LORD” those three years? Yet even in that “long time” of Chapter 17 in a land of suffering, famine and scarcity we see the faithfulness of God, His loving Kindness, and watchful care over His own. And we know as Elijah and the Widow knew and came to know that God was up to something! Look at that last bit of 18:1- “rain upon the land.” Something supernatural is about to happen, more but not less than water for crops and food for people and animals, God is about to move, about to change hearts, about to display His almighty power through His servants, about to humiliate and cast down every idol of the Baals (I encourage you to keep reading!). God has a plan, and soon no one will question His sovereignty, His holiness, His judgment, His cleansing, or His great love and kindness for His people… Revival, as rain upon the land is coming! But we are in the “about to” the “pause” before the “Go,” Elijah, and later Obadiah must have the confidence of Faith, and the sustenance of prayer, or surely they will let the compromise of fear, and the scarcity of their circumstances override their obedience to God and ability to be privileged willing vessels of His Mighty Hand! You see, the pause is important! No great movement of God in the hearts of people in all of scripture comes without a time of stillness and solitude for His Servants, without a time of preparation… Before they were Apostles at Pentecost, Peter, James and John were disciples, before Moses could lead the Exodus he had 40 years of shepherding in the wilderness, before Joshua fit the battle of Jericho he had to stand at the base of Sinai not upon its summit! Jesus didn’t go directly to the cross at the start of His ministry, nor did He go directly to Heaven after His resurrection; there must be a time of preparation for the glory of God that is to come. For Christ Followers there must be a time of stillness and solitude, of preparation in which we come to know (body and soul) more fully the faithfulness of God on a personal and intimate level and those times occur in times of crisis, aloneness (with Him) and scarcity much more so than in times of plenty, and full schedules. Revival in scripture is never instantaneous, if you look deeply- you will see that there is always preparation. That stillness/solitude and time of preparation- of coming to know the faithfulness and presence of God in hard times adds teeth to our testimony, Holy Spirit Power to our Praise, and great joy in our fellowship when we are together again and Revival comes. I encourage you to read all of Elijah’s story in 1st Kings 17-19 and notice how God prepares Elijah, and the people for the reviving outpouring of His presence.
Bringing it home, how do you see God using the Pandemic crisis to prepare His people for the “good works” of service that He has planned for us to do? In what ways are you allowing the “social distancing” that has cut short the hectic pace and eventfulness of our lives to draw you nearer to God? How has the Pandemic affected your prayer life and your understanding of God’s faithfulness to you and others? Oftentimes we get the movement of God and the events of our corporate worship mixed up with the presence of God in our worship, how is this time of solitude and distancing from social activities to be a blessing and a deepening of His presence in our lives individually and corporately? Let’s not waist this precious time that we have been given… God has directly shown us that He is sovereign over our time and our calendars, He has brought the busiest, fastest paced society in human history from a deaf and blind sprint away from His presence to an attentive crawl towards Him by a microscopic little virus. The bickering and squabbling of our divided government has gone from a shout to a whisper, our concern for our neighbors has become once more a central concern for churches, and people’s awareness of their own mortality has them seeking answers spiritually, the blessings of life, liberty, and the earnest seeking of that which brings lasting joy (a personal eternal relationship with God through Christ our Lord) has come into sharp relief, and the spiritual fields are ripening for His Harvest… Did the best laid plans of organizations for “World Evangelization” accomplish this? No, God has done it directly! Yet I think God is answering His people’s prayers for unity… for oneness, for revival from 2 Chronicles 7:14. In our stillness and solitude, in our distancing from our worldly agendas and our drawing closer to Him are we paying attention? Have nonbelievers, acquaintances, people you haven’t heard from in a long time been texting and calling you this week? That’s not boredom… that’s God preparing hearts… Are you ready to respond? Are we being willing vessels preparing to do His mighty work, preparing to GO when the time comes? Let’s encourage each other with these thoughts and God’s promises and commands- loving one another, loving our neighbors and enemies, and sharing the Gospel in the midst of this crisis/opportunity- “waiting upon the LORD!”