Bigger Than We Could Ever Know
I don’t know about you, but when I was growing up I had a number of fears. Some of those fears would come alive at night, after mom put me to bed. There’s just something about nighttime, the dark, that would open and consume my mind with fear. Once the lights went out, fear would creep into my mind and I’d start to wonder what horrible person was under my bed. And then I’d look across my room and notice my closet door was open. So, as slowly and as quietly as I could, I’d pull back my sheets, silently stand on my bed and jump as far as I could toward my bedroom door landing as quietly as I could. Then I’d run for my life downstairs to where my parents were and tell them I was afraid of who was under my bed and in my closet.
During the daytime, I had no fear of who was under my bed or in my closet. But once the night came, it was a different story. I know now that it was an irrational fear. But as a little boy, that fear overcame me on multiple nights causing me to run for my life.
You know, there’s someone in the Bible who was overcome with fear and ran for his life as well. Check this out, it’s found in 1 Kings 19, verse 3:
“Elijah was afraid and ran for his life…” 1 Kings 19:3a
If you’re like me and this is all you read or all you hear, you’re saying to yourself, “Why did he run for his life? Why was he afraid?” Surely he was being chased by some wild animal. Or maybe he was fleeing hundreds of troops from an army out to kill him. But it wasn’t for either of those reasons. Check this out… He was running because of a threat from a woman! Check this out:
“Now Ahab (the king) told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” 1 Kings 19:1, 2
And so Elijah, upon hearing this, became overwhelmed with fear and ran for his life. But it’s interesting to me that, one chapter before in chapter 18, we see the courage of Elijah. In chapter 18 he wasn’t afraid of Jezebel. He knew that Jezebel, who happened to be the king’s wife, was killing off the Lord’s prophets… people like Elijah. And what did he do in response? He summoned the king, Ahab, and confronted him.
“When he (king Ahab) saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” “I have not made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father’s family have. You have abandoned the Lord’s commands and have followed the Baals. Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” 1 Kings 18:17-19
You see, the very prophets of Baal that Elijah was calling out, were Jezebel’s very prophets. She installed the very prophets whom Elijah was calling out. And so the king sent word throughout all of Israel and assembled the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. And through his faith in the Lord, Elijah called out to the people saying if the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal is God, follow him. And then, Elijah set the challenge…
It was a simple challenge. He told the prophets of Baal to choose a bull, cut it into pieces and put it on wood but don’t set fire to it. Then Elijah would take the other bull and do the same. Once each bull was prepared, cut into pieces and placed on wood, Elijah told the Baals to call on the name of their god and then Elijah would call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by sending fire is the true God.
The prophets of Baal called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “O Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response. No answer. No fire. And they began to dance around the alter they made. At noon, Elijah began to taunt them… all 450 prophets of Baal. “Shout louder he said. Surely he’s just deep in thought, busy or traveling.” The prophets of Baal kept shouting and even began to cut themselves. They did this until evening.
At this point, Elijah was like, “Enough,” and called everyone over to him. He repaired the alter of the Lord that was in ruins, chose twelve stones and built an alter with them. He arranged the wood and placed the bull on the alter. Then, he instructed the people to fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and wood. They did this three times! How many of you know that if something is soaked with water that it’s pretty impossible to light it on fire!? And then Elijah prayed to the Lord and the fire from Heaven fell and burned up the sacrifice, to wood, the stones, the soil and sucked up all of the water that was in the trench! Then when the people saw this, they fell on their faces and cried, “The Lord - He is God!” And then Elijah instructed the people to seize the prophets of Baal, and had them brought down to the valley and killed there.
450 prophets of Baal. The prophets that Jezebel herself had picked. He stood up to them. Made them look like fools. And then had the enemies of God killed. All without flinching. In one moment, he stood tall… strong… courageously. And in the next instant, we find Elijah running for his life in the desert praying that he might die. Check this out:
“…while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.” 1 Kings 19:4, 5
Four words. “I have had enough.” He wanted to give up so bad that he wanted to just die. Emotionally tired. Physically drained. He preferred to give up and die. Just a short time ago he was facing down 450 prophets of Baal. And now, for whatever reason, he was running in fear, wanting to give up and die. Maybe you can relate. Maybe that’s you right now. You’re tired. Exhausted. And you’re saying to God, “I have had enough!” But God had a different plan for Elijah, and God has a different plan for you.
And so, the Angel of the Lord woke Elijah up twice to eat and drink. And after the second time, Elijah traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. Once he reached Horeb, he went inside a cave where he spent the night.
It’s on the road of misery where God often meets us. In the middle of our fear and running… there God is right in front of us asking us this question like He asks Elijah in verse nine:
“And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:9
God didn’t have to hear Elijah to know the answer. Just like when God asked Adam and Eve where they were in the garden. He knew where they were. And He knew why Elijah was spending the night in a cave. The question wasn’t for God. The question was for Elijah. It was so that Elijah could hear his answer out loud to himself. Sometimes God asks us questions that He knows the answers to so that we can gain His perspective on the answers we give when we hear them out loud.
And then Elijah replied in verse 10,
“I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” 1 Kings 19:10
All alone and on the run, Elijah thought he was the only prophet of the Lord left. And just like Elijah, in our trouble, in our despair, in our thoughts, we can often feel like we’re all alone… That there’s no one left to walk with us through our fears and path were on. But check out God’s response.
“The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:11-13
You see, God wasn’t in the great and powerful wind. God wasn’t in the earthquake. God wasn’t even in the fire. It was in the gentle whisper that God chose to be in. I would have expected God to be in the mighty things. The powerful things. But God wasn’t in any of those things. He was in the unexpected. He was in something Elijah had to be quiet enough to hear… a gentle whisper… something unexpected. Many times when we’re going through pain and fear and we feel all alone, God shows up in the unexpected moments. Moments where we need to be quiet enough to hear or see Him. What’s true in Elijah’s life, is true in our life as well.
And then God asked the question again… “What are you doing here?” Elijah had the same response. And then we come to verses 15 through 18 where God says something unexpected. Check this out:
“The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.” 1 Kings 19:15-18
Go back the way you came!? What!? No, no, no. I can’t go back the way I came. Don’t you understand… pain and fear and despair are back that way. Hurt and conflict and uncertainty are back that way. I can’t go back that way God! But God says, “I know.” “But if you go back the way you came, I’ve got a different plan for you.” You see, for Elijah, God was up to something bigger than Elijah could ever have imagined. And what’s true for Elijah, is true for us…
God is always up to something bigger than we could ever know.
You see, God had a plan for Elijah. God told Elijah to anoint Hazael king over Aram. He told Elijah to anoint Jehu king over Israel. And he told Elijah to anoint Elisha to succeed him as prophet. Then, as a result, these three men would see to it that anyone who seeks to harm Elijah. And God had one more thing for Elijah… He was like, “Remember when you told me you are all alone? Ya, you’re not. You’ve got seven thousand friends in Israel who haven’t bowed down to the false god, Baal.”
God is always up to something bigger than we could ever know. And in God’s timing, He will reveal His plan to us. You see, when you’re on the run… running for your life… running from your pain and despair… you can’t fulfill the calling and mission God has on your life. You’re running for your life when instead you’re meant to live your life. So instead of running for or from your life, run to God because He is always up to something bigger than we could ever imagine. We just have to quiet ourselves enough to be able to hear and see God’s plan.
Unicycle Living
Unicycles. As a little kid, I was fascinated by these things. I mean, learning to ride a bike with two wheels was hard enough. But one wheel!? Come on! Whether I saw someone ride one at a fair or at a parade, as a kid I knew that one day I would have to try to ride one. As I grew up, I eventually forgot about wanting to ride a unicycle.
Until I was in college.
College is a place for a lot of different things. It’s a place to learn. It’s a place to make life-long friends. And it’s a place where college students do some really dumb things… like trying to ride a unicycle. I don’t remember who had the unicycle or where it came from, but there it lay before me… calling for me to try to ride it. Ok, maybe it wasn’t the unicycle calling out to me to ride it. Maybe it was my friends. Regardless of who was calling out to me, this was my chance to try to ride a unicycle.
I thought getting on would be the hardest thing about riding the unicycle. It wasn’t. That was by far the easiest. After adjusting the seat, I raised the unicycle up. Placed the tire on the ground. Placed one foot on one pedal. And simultaneously pushed down on that pedal and raised my other foot to place it on the second pedal. And just like that, I was riding a unicycle!
I was surprised that I was able to keep the unicycle up after just a couple of tries. And, I was equally surprised at how unstable it all felt. But I kept going. I kept pedaling. Around and around and around in a circle in a parking lot on our campus. I wanted to stop… for a couple of reasons. One, I was getting closer to cars that were parked in that lot. And two, the raised sidewalk was getting closer with each circle I made. But just like getting on the unicycle was the easiest part, getting off the unicycle for me was the hardest part.
So I just kept pedaling.
I wanted to stop riding the unicycle, but I just couldn’t figure out the best way to stop. So I kept pedaling. It was like my feet were stuck on those pedals. Around. And Around. And around. I kept pedaling. The cars and the curb getting closer each time. All the while my friends were simultaneously cheering me on not knowing that I was mentally unable to get off of this one-wheeled ride I was on. And then… I rode the unicycle straight into the curb. Not on purpose. I was out of control. And when that wheel hit the curb and suddenly stopped, it threw me off the seat and onto the sidewalk where I was able to tuck and roll making it look like it was all done on purpose.
Tired and a little scraped up, that was the last time I rode a unicycle. I gave it up. I’m letting the pros handle it and I laugh to myself each time I see someone ride a unicycle at a parade we’re at.
And while I’ve never gotten back on a unicycle, there have been and are still times in my life where I have felt and feel like I’m riding around in a circle, with my feet stuck, pedaling and pedaling and pedaling… feeling like I’m stuck riding around on a one-wheeled bike. That feeling of a life that is crazy busy. Where we’re rushing from meeting to meeting. Appointment to appointment. Activity to activity. And instead of enjoying life, we’re rushing everywhere, living in a constant state of hurry. And we allow our emotions to be affected by the continual rush of the schedule.
Maybe you can relate.
Or maybe it’s not the schedule you can relate to. Maybe it’s the spinning of your mind. Maybe you’re in a waiting season. You’re waiting for an answer from a university you want to attend. You’re waiting for an answer to a job you’ve been going after. Maybe you’re waiting for an answer from that guy or girl you’ve been wanting to date. Or you’re been praying to God for what’s next in life… and you’re waiting for a clear answer. And instead of having peace in the waiting, your mind keeps racing as you constantly go over the “what-if’s.” And you just can’t get rest… You can’t get peace.
Regardless of whether your being controlled by your schedule or by your mind, God does have something to say about living in a constant state of hurry… in a constant state of restlessness. Check this out, it’s found in Matthew chapter 11, verses 28 through 30:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
God’s plan for your life… For my life… isn’t to live in a constant state of hurry, in a constant state of restlessness. God wants you to live in peace. He wants you to have rest. In fact, God calls each of us to come to Him. If you are tired. He wants you to come to Him. If you are carrying the heavy weight of worry… Whatever it is… financial worry, health worry, worry about a job, school or child or relationship… Jesus is calling out to each of us and He will give us rest. He will give us peace. Jesus came, walked this earth, suffered the horrible torture of the cross and overcame death so that He could give us rest for our souls.
I don’t know about you, but when I’m living in a constant state of worry or in a constant state of hurry, most of my worst moments are made. I’m usually not being loving, or living in joy. I’m usually not able to be kind or experience peace. Those things are not compatible with hurry, restlessness and worry. And when I find myself living within the restlessness, hurry and worry, it’s usually because my focus has drifted from the goodness of God in my life… It’s usually because my focus has shifted off of Jesus. You know, the average iPhone user touches his or her phone over 2,600 times a day. Whether you have an iPhone or an Android, our phones are almost always in front of our eyes.
What would our lives look like if God touched our hearts and minds as much as we touched our phones. Psalm 16:8 says,
I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:8
Imagine how much our lives might change if we would keep our eyes on Jesus. If you find you’re living in a constant state of hurry, or in a constant state of mental restlessness, Jesus is calling out to you today so that you can finally find rest and peace for your soul.
It's Ok To Ask For Help
So, the other day I bought an electric hoist to make taking the hard top off the Jeep a ton easier. I found the one I wanted and then Morgan and I went and bought it. I was excited to have this hoist. I mean, we’ve had this Jeep since last October and we hadn’t taken the entire top off. And now, with this hoist, we can make our Jeep completely top free. After bringing it home, it was time to install it. I had watched a lot of YouTube videos on how to put this thing on my ceiling. Jami and I had gone to a few stores in search of a bar that would help reinforce the hoist and make it completely safe to use without worrying about the weight of the Jeep top pulling down our garage ceiling. Once we got the metal bar and screws home, it was game on.
I was a little nervous about being able to safely install this hoist. However, my friend Davis, a fellow Jeep owner, encouraged me and had faith that I could put this hoist up (shout out to Davis!). After reading Davis’ words, I decided to try and pull it off by myself. I prepared all the materials in the garage. Pre-drilled the holes in the ceiling studs that would hold the anchor screws. Grabbed the metal bar. Attached one anchor screw. Attached the second anchor screw. Then the third. And then screwed in the fourth anchor screw. This thing is definitely not coming down. I even placed two spacers on either side of this anchor bar… why? Well, honestly I don’t know why. I saw it done on one of the YouTube videos and thought it made sense.
Now it came time to hang the electronic hoist. I adjusted the ladder to where I needed it to be. Then I grabbed the hoist. I feel like I need to say one thing about this hoist first. You see, as I was walking out of the store with this thing, I commented to Morgan on how heavy it felt in the box. Fast forward to the Sunday after buying this hoist, I picked up the hoist out of the box. Now, I had just had my hands above my head for a bit drilling holes, holding the metal bar and trying to line up the holes in the bar to the holes in the ceiling, then screwing in the four anchor screws. In other words, my arms and shoulders were already tired. So when I pulled the hoist out of the box, it definitely felt heavier than when I bought it. But I wasn’t going to let that stop me. I grabbed the hoist, made my way over to the ladder, then made my way up the ladder towards the ceiling. I raised the hoist up to where it needed to be hung and then realized quickly that I needed to bring it back down to the ladder. I thought, ok, maybe I just need to rest for a minute. So I brought the hoist back down and laid it back on the chair.
After resting for a few minutes, I tried again. I grabbed the hoist and made my way back up the ladder. Raised the hoist above my head, tried to put one of the bolts in above my head and above the hoist… nope… couldn’t do it. This time I thought maybe it was the position of the ladder. Ya, it had to be that. So I repositioned the ladder and climbed back up. Lifted the hoist above my head and tried to screw it in again. Still couldn’t do it. So I climbed back down. Climbed back up. Then climbed back down. I did this probably ten times almost falling off the ladder twice because the weight of the hoist had shifted in my hand and shoulder. I even asked Jami to help screw in the bolts to the top of the hoist. But because I couldn’t hold it up for very long, and because we couldn’t see the top of the hoist to screw in the bolts, we couldn’t get it done. And then she said ten words. Words I didn’t want to hear. The words?
"Maybe you should ask one of your friends for help.”
What!? I don’t need help, I can do this myself I told Jami. Plus, I didn’t want to bother one of my friends. I was sure they were busy and had other things to do. So back up the ladder I went. And then, back down as quickly as I went up. Five more times, again nearly falling a couple of those times. And then it finally hit me. Maybe I really can’t do this by myself. Maybe I should ask one of my friends for help. So I did what very few guys like to do… I pulled out my phone and sent a text to one of my friends asking for his help. I felt horrible about it. I kinda felt like a failure because I couldn’t do it myself. And I felt like I was putting my friend out, like I was an inconvenience to him. But I sent him a text asking for help anyway. He came over a little later that day, and we installed the hoist in just a few minutes. You see, I just wasn’t meant to put up that hoist by myself. But together, my friend and I put it up together.
After we had the hoist installed and took the Jeep top off, I thought, man life is just like this experience. We run through life, all of its problems and circumstances and we think that we’ve got this. We don’t need help. But life was never intended to be lived alone. It’s always been designed to be lived in community together. Check this out:
The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. - Genesis 2:18-22
From the beginning of time, God knew that it wasn’t good for any of us to be alone. He knew that each one of us needs community, we need togetherness, we need people in our lives. Life was never meant or designed to be lived by ourselves in isolation. God’s very design was for us to live in community. But loneliness is a real problem that many of us have felt at one time or another. In a recent study, 36% of all Americans — including 61% of young adults and 51% of mothers with young children—feel “serious loneliness.” And it’s only been made worse with COVID. And if that’s you right now, I want you to know two things.
First, Jesus loves you right where you are. Right in your loneliness. Right in your suffering. Jesus loves you. And when you call on the name of Jesus and ask Him to come in your life and save you, He doesn’t leave you alone. He provides you with His Spirit, the Holy Spirit to comfort you. John 14:26 says,
"But when the Father sends the Comforter instead of me*—and by the Comforter I mean the Holy Spirit—he will teach you much, as well as remind you of everything I myself have told you.’ - John 14:26
Second, the church is here for you. It’s filled with people who love Jesus who can provide you with the community you need.
What a wonderful God we have—he is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the source of every mercy, and the one who so wonderfully comforts and strengthens us in our hardships and trials. And why does he do this? So that when others are troubled, needing our sympathy and encouragement, we can pass on to them this same help and comfort God has given us. - 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
No matter what age you are, the church is a place where you can find hope and healing and community.
Lastly, I think most of us has struggled with the feeling of being alone. Or feeling like we’re a bother if we ask for help with something we’re going through… The struggles we face. The Hardships we have. We just don’t want to bother someone with what we’re going through. Or we think we can get through it ourselves. Whatever we’re going through, we can handle and solve it ourselves. But God has placed people in our lives for a reason. Check this out:
On one of the days while Jesus was teaching, some proud religious law-keepers and teachers of the Law were sitting by Him. They had come from every town in the countries of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was there to heal them. Some men took a man who was not able to move his body to Jesus. He was carried on a bed. They looked for a way to take the man into the house where Jesus was. But they could not find a way to take him in because of so many people. They made a hole in the roof over where Jesus stood. Then they let the bed with the sick man on it down before Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the man, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” - Luke 5:17-39
What kind of friends do you have in your life? What will your friends do for you? How far are they willing to go to help you? Better yet, what kind of friend are you? What will you do for your friends? How far are you willing to go to help your friends? You see, this dude couldn’t walk. He was paralyzed and couldn’t move his body. Everyone knew that Jesus was in town. Everyone knew that Jesus had the power to heal people. And this paralytic and his friends heard that Jesus was in town too. What did they do? They carried this guy on a bed from their town to see Jesus. The Bible doesn’t tell us how far they came. They don’t tell us how heavy this guy was. How many times they had to stop to put him down to rest. But we do know that this was only half of what they did. They other half? Ya, they tore apart the roof, raised up the guy on the bed to the roof then lowered the guy down to where Jesus stood. These friends did all they could for their friend. They carried him on the road from their town. I wonder what they talked about. They tore up a roof. They knew Jesus was inside and that He could heal their friend. They did everything they could just so their friend could be brought before Jesus. They did all they could to help bring him healing.
You see, life is meant to be lived in community. In a togetherness where we all help to bring healing to each other through Jesus. We’re all struggling with something, it’s up to each of us to be roof-top friends to each other, being willing to be the kind of friend who will do all we can to bring healing in the name of Jesus.