Monday meditation: Fantastic power, just like a summer blockbuster
You might call Elijah the father of all superheroes. Confronted with evil as far as the eye could see, he prevailed with a fantastic show of fire and force.
And since today’s Bible story reads like the plot of a summer blockbuster, we might struggle to see any relevance for our own humdrum existence. But there are similarities just below the surface.
• Today, as then, much of the world is largely ignoring the God of the Bible.
• Today, as then, those who speak out for Biblical values are derided or ousted or punished or killed.
• Today, as then, it’s easier to stay with the godless horde than to stand for the unpopular truth.
One day, in the twinkling of an eye, with a frightening sound of a trumpet heard around the world, God will show himself to those who worship something else. But for now, we must wait and wonder what we can do to help others see him.
Many of us absorbed with caregiving at home have largely quit thinking about how to affect the wayward world around us. Let the belligerent masses heave and holler, we have dirty sheets to launder and a confusing illness to confront. We’re more about survival than influence. We might wish for God to burn away Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s or cancer in one dramatic onslaught. But we don’t expect that. In fact, sometimes we struggle to see how he’s helping us cope with just one more day.
Today’s Bible story is made for those absorbed with the cares of caregiving. It challenges us to look above ourselves and outside the four walls enclosing our suffering loved one. God is still out there, with unimaginable power. His commitment to serve and save his people has not waned. He may not appear with a lightning bolt to convince our neighbors he’s real. But his Spirit dwelling within us can show us how to demonstrate his presence in our daily lives.
And if we don’t feel like a superhero, that’s OK. Actually, Elijah was no superhero, either. He did not bring down the fire that consumed “the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil.” God did that. God is the hero of this story. Elijah simply trusted him to make it happen.
We can read the account and ask ourselves, “What do I wish for my life that I have absolutely no power to control? Can I trust God to make that happen?”
Read: 1 Kings 18
Pray: Dear Father, kindle hope within me as I remember your potential to prevail over those who ignore you. Keep me from being discouraged by infidelity I see all around me. Show yourself to me today, not just for me, but so that others will see you, too.
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