Micaiah comes and goes in the Biblical story so fast he’s easy to miss. But while we don’t know that much about the prophet, his time in the limelight of 1 Kings 22 leaves a lasting impression. Caught between a hard truth and the notorious Ahab, King of Israel, it’s impossible not to put ourselves in Micaiah’s shoes when we read his story. Will we choose the truth or what is popular? The stakes are just as high today as they were then.
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There are few things that hurt more than when someone else is chosen over you. No matter the ways we try to rationalize or minimize the sting, it’s never fun to be that person. It’s made even worse when you’ve done everything right, and you should be the right choice. How do we handle it when God is the one that moves on to the next guy; when someone else’s life seems to get all the blessings and we get little if anything? It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but a necessary lesson for us all to learn.
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Sometimes life can drive us to a breaking point. We can give, and strive, and work, and scheme, only to feel like we’re going nowhere. It can be enough to make us ask the question, “What’s the point?” Elijah was there. He had done everything right, yet no one seemed to listen. When Elijah was ready to quit, God didn’t walk away. In fact, God pursued him. Not only that, God spoke to him. Not only that, God spoke to him in a tender, intimate way. It may not have been what Elijah was looking for, but it was exactly what Elijah needed.
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Rain, fire, dueling gods, kings, and prophets. This story has it all. At its essence though, it’s a picture of the very same battle we all have raging in our own hearts. We dance to appease our false gods only to hear silence. Elijah’s challenge is pointed squarely at us- will we choose a God that hears us or gods that respond in silence? Will we follow gods that demand our performance? Or taste and see that God is good? Whichever we choose, Elijah is clear, we must choose.
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God’s provision often comes from places we would never expect. And while we may not no where to look for it, we do know what he looks for in us. The Widow at Zarephath was an unexpected source of provision for Elijah, just as Elijah was an unexpected source for the widow. But for both of them, God made it clear, He wanted them to show their complete faith in Him. When they had given all of themselves, God gave them everything they needed.
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A nobody from nowhere. That’s the man that would become the most significant prophet since Moses and until Jesus. What is it about this guy Elijah that would prompt God to use him as a figure for hope during centuries of silence? We get a peak of what he is all about in the very first verse that introduces him. We see this nobody from nowhere is ready to draw battle lines with anyone- so long as he can stand on the word of God.
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Big moments capture our attention and our emotion. We spend our lives fretting over these big moments, but it’s only when we reflect back on our lives that we realize it’s the moments we didn’t even know were happening that really set the tone for what our lives become. We would do well to examine those moments mindfully. However, an examined life is not the sum total of the Christian life- God’s faithfulness insures our lives are more than just a sum total of our moments.
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After a long, hard trip, there’s nothing quite as sweet as a homecoming. Finally reaching the destination that you have long for and struggled to find, to be home is the sweetest satisfaction we can know. The tragedy, though, is that some will never know this feeling. They assume that this journey, this place, is all there is. That home is really a destination that we can never quite find. As Peter tells us, we should weigh our choices and our assumptions carefully because on that final day- it will make all the difference.
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There are few things more dangerous than an enemy from inside the camp- a double agent. Double agents know all the secrets of both sides. They know the lingo, what motivates, what agitates, and what creates a sense of comfort. They are incredibly dangerous because they know how to manipulate trust and manipulate our desires. Peter wants to warn us of this danger from within the church. False teachers come in many shapes and sizes, but what’s common to them all is their end. Peter does not mince words and loudly sounds our warning. We would do well to listen.
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When life begins to get a little rocky and the waves start to pound all around us, it can be easy for us to feel unsteady, unsafe, and a bit seasick. When that happens, what we desperately need is something that will allow us to steady the ship amidst the waves. Peter’s teaching can help us to do this. In pointing us to his own experiences with Jesus as well as the writings of the prophets, he can give us what we need to sustain the pounding of the waves and keep us sailing to our destination.
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Sometimes the Christian life feels like we don’t quite have all the right ingredients- like we’ve chosen a complicated recipe that we can quite make according to plan. In order to get something on the table, we substitute ingredients and kind of guess at what the end product is supposed to be. The end result is often a far cry from what the recipe really called for. According to Peter, though, we have everything we need for life and godliness. Part of that is our own need to “make every effort” in applying Peter’s teachings.
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The Christian life is absurd if you live it the way the Bible teaches. As Peter finishes his exhortation to various churches about to suffer, his teaching is incomprehensible to anyone that is apart from Christ. But in Christ, his exhortation is the only thing that can give us hope. An exhortation to endure and to do it alongside others is the call of the church, and it is a call that will be worth it in the end.
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The beginning of a new year provides us with an opportunity to consider the previous year, rejoice in the successes, and learn from the failures. There is a lot of value in reflecting on the previous twelve months. However, the beauty of the gospel is that whatever the last year (or more) has been, today is a new day, a new beginning. God is always in the business of doing new things, and the invitation is open to be a part of what he is doing.
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When Jesus came, he came on a mission, in part, to bring us joy. When he dies, he prays for his disciples that they would have his joy, but also that they would be among those that bring that joy to others. We have been given the same mission that Jesus came with- a mission of joy, and we are ambassadors of that joy.
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As we gather on Christmas Eve, we reflect on the night Jesus was born and the why Jesus came. We consider his teaching and his mission, which he tells us was all about (remarkably) our joy.
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