GOD WANTS OUR EAR!
by Don Robson
Current events have caused me to reflect on the activities of
Elijah the Tishbite, who played such a role in Israel in the time
of Ahab and Jezebel. After Elijah's astounding victory over the
prophets of Baal, Jezebel made a declaration of war. I Kings 19:
2, "Then, Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah saying, So let the
gods do the same to me and more also, if I make not thy life as
one of them by tomorrow about this time." Elijah fled for his
life. Without relating the detail of his flight, let us note that
he ended up lodged in a cave. We take up the story in verses 9-
13, "And he came thither unto a cave and lodged there; and
behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said unto him,
What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very
jealous for the Lord God of Hosts; for the children of Israel
have forsaken Thy covenant, thrown down Thine altars, and slain
Thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and
they seek my life to take it away. And He said, Go forth and
stand upon the mount before the Lord. And behold, the Lord passed
by, and a great strong wind rent the mountains and brake in
pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the
wind; and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in
the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was
not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. And it
was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his
mantle and went out and stood in the entering in of the cave. And
behold, there came a voice unto him and said, What doest thou
here, Elijah?"
I find it interesting that the Lord repeated the question He
asked Elijah at the arrival at the cave. "The word of the Lord
came to him." We do not know if it was an actual conversation
with the Lord or just thoughts processing in Elijah's mind. In
any case, he fashioned an answer justifying His presence there in
the cave. The Lord was not impressed because Elijah was putting
more faith in Jezebel than in God. So God gave him a
demonstration of His power, and restarted the conversation by
asking the same question. Now the story references wind,
earthquake and fire as demonstrations of God's power, reminding
Elijah that God is more powerful than Jezebel and to listen for
His word.
What has this to do with current events? Well, in Canada we have
had a series of unusual weather-related events that have caused
destruction of property and heartbreak for families affected by
the unusual circumstances. The first event I recall was a
mudslide in British Columbia caused by excessive rain raising, a
man-made lake to levels too high for the dam to hold with the
resulting ruin caused by the mudslide. In the prairies, we have
unprecedented rainfall, causing flooding that is destroying
planted crops and preventing the planting of crops in the soaked,
wet fields. Manitoba and Quebec were/are afflicted with serious
forest fires causing evacuations of populations and requiring
outside help to control the conflagrations. Ontario has suffered
a series of serious thunder storms and at least two tornadoes in
Leamington and Midland. Topping all that off, we experienced an
earthquake centered in Quebec and felt in Ontario and New York
State. Finally, on TV, I watched a shower of hail stones the size
of golf balls. Earlier this year, Quebec suffered an unusual
tragedy when a surfeit of rain transformed clay to liquid, which
washed out from under houses destroying them completely.
Taking the Elijah story into consideration, it would seem that
God is telling/showing us that He wants to speak; please, listen!
But as you are well aware, we have pushed God aside and certainly
would not hold Him responsible for weather events. (Although we
love to refer to them as, "Acts of God") Our attitude towards God
and the weather dictates that we must "manage" the disaster and
leave to God more important issues, like running the universe,
apart from weather. Nevertheless, there are some quotes in
Scripture where God claims responsibility. Job 26: 8, "He bindeth
up the waters in His thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent
under them." Job 8:10, "He hath compassed the waters with bounds,
until the day and night come to an end." Job 28:23-27, "God
understandeth the way thereof, and He knoweth the place thereof.
For He looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under
the whole heaven; To make the weight for the winds; and He
weigheth the waters by measure. When He made a decree for the
rain, and a way for the lightning for the thunder; then He did
see it, and declare it; He prepared it and yea, searched it out."
Job 37:6, "For He saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth;
likewise to the small rain, and to the great rain of His
strength." A final quote from Job chapter 37: 9-13. "Out of the
south cometh the whirlwind; and cold out of the north. By the
breath of God, frost is given; and the breadth of waters is
straightened. Also by watering He wearieth the thick cloud; He
scattereth His bright cloud; and it is turned round about by His
counsels; that they may do whatsoever He commandeth them upon the
face of the world in the earth."
If one believes in the Word of God, this evidence is so
compelling that we admit that God is controlling the weather for
His own purposes.
And then there is the man-made disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
Reading about the possible consequences is very depressing and
may be a major calamity facing North America, Israel lands. It
has been reported in the news media that the people of Louisiana
are praying for divine intervention. We know that all things are
possible with God. And we probably will require His healing of
our lands. So praying is the right action to take but we are
going about it in the wrong way! God has instructed us how to
approach Him when we are confronted with this or any other
disaster. At the dedication of the temple by Solomon, part of his
prayer is found in II Chronicles 6: 26,27, "When the heaven is
shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned against
Thee; and if they pray towards this place, and confess Thy name
and turn from their sin, when Thou dost afflict them: then hear
Thou from heaven, and forgive the sin of Thy servants, and of Thy
people Israel; when Thou hast taught them the good way, wherein
they should walk; and send rain upon Thy land, which Thou hast
given unto the people for an inheritance." So, God is looking for
repentance and confession of sin.
Hear God's response in verses 13 & 14, "If I shut up heaven that
there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land,
or if I send pestilence among My people; If My people which are
called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My
face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from
heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
God wants our ear! He wants to show us His loving kindness and
mercy. He has shown us how we can reach Him effectively through
confession of sin and repentance. If we give Him our ear, will He
say, "What are you doing here?"
......
Taken from "Thy Kingdom Come" - August 2010 - a publication of
The Association of the Covenant People, Burnaby, B.C. Canada
Note:
Either God directly causes the effects of nature to come upon us,
or allows it, in order to bring us to repentance. Then also God
often allows us to reap what we sow, the effect should still
bring us to repentance - if we sow the bad and reap the bad, we
should be willing to take stock of ourselves and stop sowing the
bad, and sow the right that we may reap the good.
Keith Hunt
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