As I was getting in my car on Monday to head home from work, I opened my trunk to put a few things inside and glanced at the two cases of Diet Coke that were there. Knowing that this was an accident waiting to happen, I opted to leave them there rather than taking them out and putting them inside. Monday’s high temp was 109 degrees.
As I merged onto the interstate to head home I hit a bump on the road. With the ac blowing on high and the stereo blasting I immediately heard a “ping” sound coming from my trunk. A few seconds went by and there was another ping. This went on for the next couple of miles. I was expecting to arrive home and find a sticky soda explosion caked all over my trunk.
Thankfully, that wasn’t the end result and the only damage was a handful of expanded, very deformed cans of Diet Coke.
As I thought about this scenario, I began to see the similarities there were between us…and a case of overheated, carbonated beverages. The heat caused a tremendous amount of pressure that was bottled up in each 12oz can of soda. This was caused as a result of not storing it in a room temperature environment. If it was 109 degrees outside, I can’t even begin to imagine what the temperature was in the trunk of a black car with absolutely no ventilation.
As a Christian, when we step outside our environments, we risk having to feel the effects of pressure. And if we’re not careful, we subject ourselves to those pressures building enough to cause an “explosion.” Unfortunately, for as long as we walk this earth we are out of our environment, because this world is not our home…
This week I have been reading from the book of 1 Kings and studying Elijah. The New Testament refers to Elijah as being a man who was “just like us” (James 5:17) When I think of Elijah, I think of a man who was obedient, who was anointed by God, and was used to stop the rain from falling for 3-1/2 years. But as I read 1 Kings, my eyes were opened to see Elijah in a way I had never fully understood before, which led me into some deeper study of this man who was just like us…
I found a fairly extensive study online by J Hampton Keathley III. In one of his lessons he spoke about Elijah’s bout with depression.
Elijah was a man with a nature just like ours. Just like the rest of us, he experienced the problem of depression-that mental and emotional condition marked by feelings of discouragement, worthlessness, dejection, guilt, apprehension, and failure...
…But alas, we all have feet of clay. Keeping our focus on the Lord and our minds relating to God in the midst of a fallen and evil world that says, “happiness, security, significance, i.e., your needs, are found in the details of life,” is not easy. We are bombarded with a general attitude that is illustrated in slogans like “life is short, so play hard. You only go around once, so get all the gusto you can.” Even when we are not affected by that kind of thinking-and Elijah was not-it is still difficult to maintain our spiritual equilibrium or orientation to God. It is easy to get lost in the fog, the dense clouds that sometimes envelop us. We try to fly by the seat of our pants rather than by our biblical instrument panel. As a result, we get lost or we crash and burn emotionally.
When Elijah started to feel the pressure he, in essence stepped outside of his environment.
Being disappointed, Elijah got his eyes off the Lord, became fearful, and ran for his life down to Beersheba and then beyond into the desert. He was alone…He was tired, exhausted, and in the wilderness by himself without food and water. Of course, he was not alone because the Lord was there, but he felt totally alone, helpless, fearful, hurt, a failure, and he wasn’t thinking with the viewpoint of the Word.
If only I had a mere penny for the times that something similar has happened to me. The moments in which I feel as though I have lost all control, which realistically opens up the door for God to remind me that it’s not about me being in control anyway.
So here’s Elijah. Alone in the wilderness, sitting under a tree he prayed for God to take his life and then fell asleep. The Lord provided for him through food and water and Elijah continued on a forty day journey to the mountain of God.
And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (10) He replied, “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.” (11) 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. (12) After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper…
…Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
As I merged onto the interstate to head home I hit a bump on the road. With the ac blowing on high and the stereo blasting I immediately heard a “ping” sound coming from my trunk. A few seconds went by and there was another ping. This went on for the next couple of miles. I was expecting to arrive home and find a sticky soda explosion caked all over my trunk.
Thankfully, that wasn’t the end result and the only damage was a handful of expanded, very deformed cans of Diet Coke.
As I thought about this scenario, I began to see the similarities there were between us…and a case of overheated, carbonated beverages. The heat caused a tremendous amount of pressure that was bottled up in each 12oz can of soda. This was caused as a result of not storing it in a room temperature environment. If it was 109 degrees outside, I can’t even begin to imagine what the temperature was in the trunk of a black car with absolutely no ventilation.
As a Christian, when we step outside our environments, we risk having to feel the effects of pressure. And if we’re not careful, we subject ourselves to those pressures building enough to cause an “explosion.” Unfortunately, for as long as we walk this earth we are out of our environment, because this world is not our home…
This week I have been reading from the book of 1 Kings and studying Elijah. The New Testament refers to Elijah as being a man who was “just like us” (James 5:17) When I think of Elijah, I think of a man who was obedient, who was anointed by God, and was used to stop the rain from falling for 3-1/2 years. But as I read 1 Kings, my eyes were opened to see Elijah in a way I had never fully understood before, which led me into some deeper study of this man who was just like us…
I found a fairly extensive study online by J Hampton Keathley III. In one of his lessons he spoke about Elijah’s bout with depression.
Elijah was a man with a nature just like ours. Just like the rest of us, he experienced the problem of depression-that mental and emotional condition marked by feelings of discouragement, worthlessness, dejection, guilt, apprehension, and failure...
…But alas, we all have feet of clay. Keeping our focus on the Lord and our minds relating to God in the midst of a fallen and evil world that says, “happiness, security, significance, i.e., your needs, are found in the details of life,” is not easy. We are bombarded with a general attitude that is illustrated in slogans like “life is short, so play hard. You only go around once, so get all the gusto you can.” Even when we are not affected by that kind of thinking-and Elijah was not-it is still difficult to maintain our spiritual equilibrium or orientation to God. It is easy to get lost in the fog, the dense clouds that sometimes envelop us. We try to fly by the seat of our pants rather than by our biblical instrument panel. As a result, we get lost or we crash and burn emotionally.
When Elijah started to feel the pressure he, in essence stepped outside of his environment.
Being disappointed, Elijah got his eyes off the Lord, became fearful, and ran for his life down to Beersheba and then beyond into the desert. He was alone…He was tired, exhausted, and in the wilderness by himself without food and water. Of course, he was not alone because the Lord was there, but he felt totally alone, helpless, fearful, hurt, a failure, and he wasn’t thinking with the viewpoint of the Word.
If only I had a mere penny for the times that something similar has happened to me. The moments in which I feel as though I have lost all control, which realistically opens up the door for God to remind me that it’s not about me being in control anyway.
So here’s Elijah. Alone in the wilderness, sitting under a tree he prayed for God to take his life and then fell asleep. The Lord provided for him through food and water and Elijah continued on a forty day journey to the mountain of God.
And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (10) He replied, “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.” (11) 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. (12) After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper…
…Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
-1 Kings 19:9-12
God came to Elijah in a gentle voice. He came to remind him that He was still in charge. And to remind us that when pressures build up and we feel like running (which we will), we should focus on running to Jesus and rest in knowing that He will calm the storms, He will keep us safe, and He will provide. Always.
God came to Elijah in a gentle voice. He came to remind him that He was still in charge. And to remind us that when pressures build up and we feel like running (which we will), we should focus on running to Jesus and rest in knowing that He will calm the storms, He will keep us safe, and He will provide. Always.
1 comment:
It is always nice to be reminded that God is in charge. What a comfort! And--sometimes it really is in the smallness of things--in the quiet whisper, that we see Him and are reminded again of His awesomeness. Today was a good day for me to be reminded to keep my eyes upon Jesus! Thank you!
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