A recap of the message from First Church WIRED 10 17 10In I Kings 19, God finds Elijah running away, hiding in a cave, worried about his future. God asks Elijah, “What are you doing here?” Why does God ask us these type of questions? Think about it. God is not asking questions to gain information. We are not going to tell God something that He doesn’t already know.
Well, I think God wants us to acknowledge His presence. In those moments of worry, we seem alone in the moment…but we are not…God is there…we just need to see Him, recognize his presence…like Elijah didn’t see God in the wind, the fire, the earthquakes…
We need to say YES LORD I SEE YOU, I HEAR YOU, I REMEMBER YOUR FAITHFULNESS.
What is it about our present circumstances that seem to cause us to forget what God has done? When you start to worry, we have to say….God I’ve done all I can do today, I’m trusting you with tomorrow. And I’m not going to let worry drive me to a place I have no business being. I’m going to head to tomorrow confident that my God is with me.
What does God say to us in those times? What did he say to Elijah? We later in 1 Kings 19, God said to Elijah…you have to go back…there are things for you to do, things you need to do, to be responsible.
Have you gone some places you shouldn’t go? You may need to go back…what will that mean? Maybe you need to sit with family and work some things out; heal some relationships; develop good financial habits. Gods invitiation is to go back, be responsible, do what you can do. Don’t let the worries of today cause you to forget Gods faithfulness in the past or blind you to His presence in your future.
So how can we remember Gods faithfulness to us? Pastor Dan encouraged us to write down our stories of Gods faithfulness. This is such an important thing to do, it helps us remember. I want to encourage all of us to do this this week. Write it down. Check out the Discussion thread on facebook.com/firstchurchwired to add your story of God’s faithfulness to you. Your story, all our stories, can encourage each other. Imagine filling the site full of stories of Gods faithfulness in our lives. What an incredible way to grow our faith.
We share these stories because they are an encouragement for others, but they also encourage each of us personally. The story of Gods faithfulness can get lost in your head, hard to remember, especially in the face of present tensions and circumstances. When you write it down, it is memorable and accessible. You won’t forget easily. And this encouragement can help you overcome your worries.
Now if you have some doubts about Gods faithfulness. I understand. It may not always look like God is present…but I believe God IS at work through the Holy Spirit. And really, I need to look no further than the cross of Jesus Christ to see God at work. Somehow in God’s mysterious ways His will was at work on the cross…I’m not sure I get it fully, but remember this you don’t have to understand everything to believe in something. You don’t have to have your faith fully worked out to follow Christ. In fact, we’re here together to walk this journey together, to share our faith stories, encourage each other, and to grow in faith together.
My prayer for you and me, in these crazy economic times and global turmoil, that we as followers of Jesus Christ will let our lives shine in our homes, workplaces, schools, not because our situations are better, but we refuse to allow our situations to drive us into places of darkness, places we have no business being and we can trust in the only One who can take care of tomorrow. And when you’ve done all you can do, and you still sense worry building up in your life, you whisper to God “that’s your responsibility. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Listen to last week's worship set at Grooveshark here.
Watch Andy Stanley's sermon on Elijah and worry.
