So, I'm sitting in church this morning, and it suddenly comes to me - should I admit it? - in the middle of Bro Chris' closing prayer, that I missed it. I missed it! I missed the point of the scripture presented in this morning's Sunday School lesson - the same scripture I've been studying throughout the preceding week.
I had spent my time in Sunday School recounting some very interesting and necessary-to-know history from the time of King David's death through the splitting of his kingdom, into and through successors to the throne, to the reign of Ahab and the appearance of Elijah.
The point that the people who wrote the Sunday School book wanted to get across today was that we must take a stand for God in our lives. I did eventually get around to making that point And indeed we must. It is just as Elijah said,
1 Kings 18:21 (NKJV) And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.”
A great lesson, and a decision we all must reach. To take a stand for the Lord as Elijah did at that time. One man for God amid thousands who were committed followers of Baal. It was a courageous act of obedience on Elijah's part to take that stand.
But, I don't think that was the point God intended for me to make in class this morning. Had I spent less time going backward and more time moving forward, it may have hit me there in front of that group rather than near the end of our church service. So here it is: (and it shows up only a few verses later!)
Israel had forgotten and turned away from their God. They were seeking their wants and needs from other sources, their own false Gods. (Don't so many of us do much the same thing in a time of need or crisis?) In a great showdown of sorts, God proved himself to be the one true God, while Baal was proven before all to be a false God.
1 Kings 18:39 (NKJV) Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!”
And there it is . . . the Lord, He is God!
In good times, the Lord, He is God!
In bad times, the Lord, He is God!
When the refrigerator and the pantry are full, the Lord, He is God!
When you don't know where your next meal is coming from, the Lord, He is God!
When all of your relationships are healthy and fulfilling, the Lord, He is God!
When your marriage seems to be falling apart, the Lord, He is God!
When work is plentiful and there is no end in sight, the Lord, He is God!
When there is not a job to be found with every human effort being made, the Lord, He is God!
For any and every situation or circumstance of life, the Lord, He is God!
The Lord, He is God of and in every moment of our eternal lives.
Just as Elijah took his stand for God, we all encounter situations in our daily lives that call for us to take a stand. It may be a very public stand, such as Elijah did. It may be just between friends or acquaintances. It may be that we have to take a stand in some bad situation such as I have described above. It may be just you or me standing there in the face of all kinds of adversity and declaring before that adversity that the Lord, He is God. And in doing so setting aside the fear and anxiety that those adversities designed by Satan are intended to create. For if the Lord is God of our lives what have we to fear? If the Lord is God of our lives it will all turn out according to His perfect will.
Point taken!
Connected,
Dennis
