One Step Beyond

“And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.” (1 Kings 17:22-24)

Good morning, my friend…

I have great news to share with you today! Our God, Jehovah, Adonai, is still in the miracle business! I just wanted to get that out there in the very beginning. God is, once again, moving among His people and performing miracles (not that He ever really stopped or wanted to stop).

In our passage this morning we find Elijah, one of the great prophets from the Old Testament, raising from the dead the son of a widow. The whole story behind Elijah, this woman, and her son is actually pretty cool to read and I encourage you to read it when you have time. These verses wrap up a period of time in this woman’s life where God has been providing for her supernaturally during a national drought. Here in the Midwest we understand how horribly crippling a drought can be physically, but there is also a spiritual drought involved in this whole time period as well.

I don’t know about you, but I love it when missionaries come home to our churches and report on their activities out in the field. Their stories stir up thoughts of the old Wild West in our minds as they tell of battling demons, witch doctors, head-hunters, and other forces while they spread the gospel to the local natives. Granted, some missionaries don’t go to the jungle – they are positioned in large cities and metropolitan areas – but their stories can be just as exciting! We listen, sitting on the edge of our seats, as they tell of confrontations between good and evil, of demonic manifestations, of supernatural displays of God’s power, and of the overall victory of good over evil. All too soon, their message is over, everybody goes home, and we return to our normal, boring lives.

But what if God wants you to show His power through your life – here, now, among your people? Has America evolved to the point we no longer need His intervention, or have we lost our ability to believe? I just had this conversation with a sister of mine last evening on the phone. She has, over the past two or three years, experienced multiple occurrances of God healing her body from things she has suffered for years. I have mentioned to you before how God has been healing my body now of several life-threatening issues I have faced these past few months. There are many to whom I could point you in this immediate geographical area whom have had God supernaturally touch their physical bodies in such a way that even the doctors have to admit a miracle has occurred. Are they special? Are these recipients of God’s mercy and healing famous, or rich, or well-known? Am I? Hardly! We are much like this widow woman about whom we read this morning. We don’t even know her name (unlike many in scripture). She is unknown – except to God. Reading her story, she was simply going about her business, trying her best to provide for her son and herself, when Elijah suddenly came into her life. She met his requests obediently, silently, and (dare I say this?) out of sheer desparation. She had nothing to lose. Much like you and me.

She had done everything Elijah had asked of her. She watched and listened as he went about doing what God had told him to do – it would appear for several months. Yet tragedy struck her – as it does all of us. And, like us, she questioned God and blamed the prophet, accusing him of bringing judgment on her for some unknown sin in her life. It’s interesting when you think about it. We receive good from the hand of God without question – as if He owed it to us or something. Yet, when the natural course of life turns and things go sour, we want to run away from Him and yell at Him. Life happens to us all – the godly and the sinner alike. None of us are exempt. Yet how do we handle those times?

I am learning that it is those times when we need to press in even closer, lean harder on God, and seek His face. Before you say anything, let me address something here. By my saying what I just advised you to do, I have triggered someone. Memories come rushing to the front and you remember someone who abused you – either as a child or as an adult. You have been beaten, starved, locked in a closet, or otherwise verbally and physically abused by someone, and my telling you to press in to God (who, in your mind, is responsible for this terrible thing to happen to you) feels like being forced to hug the uncle who sexually molested you. I understand the trigger and I can only imagine the horror you must feel when that memory comes to mind. May I please comfort you and reassure you that God did NOT abuse you. He has not caused this great evil to come into your life. Granted, He is God and He could have stopped it; however, it happened – either according to the will of a person or according to the natural course of this world. Sickness, disease, abuse, being physically crippled, or death – none of these have come from God. Yet it is His desire to heal you, to restore you, to raise you up from these circumstances – if only you will come to Him in trust. You may come in fear and trembling, perhaps doubting at first. But come to Him. Try to let go just a little and allow Him to show Himself merciful, loving, and trustworthy. Just as a little child has to learn to trust, so must we.

Today I hope to help you stretch out of your comfort zone – even just one step beyond where you feel safe. Your healing is just beyond that barrier. Your deliverance is just beyond that line. God is waiting for you to come to Him. To put it in worldly terms, “If you want something you have never had, you need to do something you have never done.” What do you have to lose?

Be blessed.