Man Up

A month ago my son came to visit.  He had not been home for about 9 months.  He was such a sight for my sore eyes.  My anticipation was satisfied as he walked in the door.  I hugged him and was overcome with tears.  Tears of happiness at seeing him mingled with tears of sadness at missing my daughter.  It was a strange emotional dualism that took me by surprise.  I thought of God when that happened...

As you know the Bible stories are clues about God.  For example, the story of Abraham offering his son as a sacrifice is an allegory of God offering His only Son as our sacrifice.  Absalom's story is also an allegory.  His story is of the beautiful rebellious son who tried to kill his father.  Sounds just like the devil doesn't it?  Lucifer, most beautiful of all created beings, turning in treachery against his Creator.  Even Absalom's demise is like what awaits the devil.  "And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great pit in the wood..." (2 Samuel 18:17)  The comparison is easy.

Have you ever paid attention to what the story tells about God?  David the "type" is crushed by the news of His son's death.  Grief seizes Him and 2 Samuel 19:4 says, "But the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son,  my son!"  In the mean time, the soldiers return expecting a heroes' welcome but instead they hear David wailing in his room.  Joab purveys the situation and tells David that expressing his love for Absalom when the army has just risked their lives for the kingdom is wrong.  For the sake of the beleaguered soldiers and the kingdom he essentially tells David to take it like a man and do the right thing.  "Then the king arose, and sat in the gate.  And they told unto all the people  saying, Behold, the king doth sit in the gate.  And all the people came before the king..." (2 Samuel 19:8)

Do you see it?  Do you see the Archetype, the son of David, at those pearly gates with all the people before Him?  Do you see His face illuminated with the joy of having His children safely home after their battles are over?  Do you also see His hidden sorrow?  Do you see the tears for millions of His lost children stifled inside His tender heart?  Do you see how He restrains Himself because He wants our homecoming to be happy?  When you look at David it is perfectly clear God's heart is joyous yet still breaking while we gaze with wonder at the marvels He has prepared.  But, for our sakes, He takes it like a man and we never see the hidden sorrow.

Oh, I pray that in that beautiful moment when I get to walk in those gates, that by God's grace I will remember my Saviors heart and give Him that "knowing" look that says, "thank You for all you have done, thank You for making this homecoming only joy.  I am sorry about the sorrow you carry."  I pray that His heart and His feelings will be more important to me than the beauties in view whether today or in the great tomorrow.

Imagine

Elijah slept with an angel at his side.  His exhaustion blurred the surprise of being touched by a holy hand, but that guardian angel did not leave his post because Elijah was unmindful.  No, God's mighty warrior watched Elijah like a mother watching her new born baby.

The man of God was cradled in the wilderness...

The elements swaddled him...

The angel sang lullabies...

Can you see it? 

I see it.  I see God and all eternity bending over the windows of heaven to measure Elijah's breathing...

I see Jesus' eyes filling with tears of wonder at the bedraggled man laying in the dirt.  "Poor thing," he says,  "He thinks he is a complete failure.  If he only knew.  He is so strong in his weakness; strong in my strength. Angel, go sooth my tired son." 

"He makes Himself real in the imagination." (DPW)

What else is it for, if not to see Jesus....

Use it today...

Unflinching

The deafening noise stopped.  The prophets of Baal had given all they had and still, no fire.  They were beaten and exhausted.  For hours they had danced and pleaded by their sacrifice.  They cut themselves and pulled their hair out.  They lay prostrate on the altar, as if they were living sacrifices, but to no avail.

Then it was the Lords turn.  Silently Elijah rebuilt God's altar.  There he bowed his head and prayed....

Wait!  Wait just one minute....  He bowed down in front of the Lords altar?

It is reasonable for the prophets of Baal to dance and cut themselves by their altar.  It is even acceptable for them to lay their bleeding bodies down like living sacrifices.  It is O.K. for them to do that because Baal is no god.  He will not answer by fire.  They cannot be burned near Baal's altar.  But the Lord, He is God and Elijah knowing that knelt down right in front of His altar.

Did Elijah stop to think about what God's fire did at Sodom?  Did he forget that the top of Mount Sinai was engulfed by God's fire and the people were terrified?  Maybe he thought the Lord would consume the sacrifice by lighting it with a stick, like was done for Gideon?  I dont know what Elijah thought about the fire, but I do know his main concern was glorifying God.  So quietly, he raised his hands toward heaven and asked the Lord to send fire.  It came.  Like atomic lasers, streams of lightning poured out from heaven eating up the sacrifice, the wood, the altar, the water and the earth underneath it; and all the while it was just inches from Elijah's face, yet he did not flinch!  With arms open toward heaven He trusted the God of the fire to protect him.

I pray for fire...you do too.  We ask God to cleanse our hearts. He does this with fire.  We beg for the wayward to repent.  They do because of the fire.  Every day we ask God to send us fire, but when it comes, we run.  We fear the intensity and turn from the heat.  We shield our eyes from the light and cower in its presence.

What if we simply yielded to the fire starter?  What if we stood in His presence and reveled in the cleansing stream?  What if we were more invested in God's glory than in our safety?  Then fire could rain all around us and we would not flinch.  Like Elijah we could breath deeply of the warmth and bask in its light and stand up after everything is consumed and praise God.