Look through the window...where does all our "doing" lead?
DO - DOING - DONE!!
Sure, it is in the "doing" that we connect with people for the most part.
Questions like "what do we have in common?" "What do you do for a living"..."Where do you work?" come up quite often. It seems to be a necessitous
way of life in the world.
But remember "You are in the world but not of it."
{Now - here is the tricky part...LISTEN...listen beyond your bias settings...listen beyond your fear threshold...Be still...hang on to a blessed thought
that is coming for you...if you want it. Answer this small question after the HLFA discourse -- What have I learned about my God?}
I Kings 19...Tells the story of Elijah's moment of truth with God. This story
has captivated the hearts and minds of the theologian as well as the layman
since its existence. Elijah has had an amazing victory in the "Garden-land" of
Mt. Carmel...in the process of his "Do-Doing-Done", he is wiped out. There is
now rain again in Israel, but after slaying 450 prophets of Baal at the Winding
brook Kishon he is more than exhausted; and the "threat of his undoing" by one
miserable wicked queen has him turning-in his servant and crashing under a
juniper tree. When given angelic sustenance...he heads into the Desert to The
Mount (you know "the Moses place"). He finds a cave, and with the cave
is faced a decision: to stay for the night or to set up house keeping. To "do" for
the moment or be lost in the "doing".
(Had to set the stage a little because this is the part of the story that fascinates
the soul the most):
The "Word of the Lord" comes to Him...
"What doest thou here, Elijah?"
What part of this phrase do you hear?
"What doest thou here"
or
Elijah?
The focus of God was not the "doing" it was the name...Elijah!
My focus on the "doing" takes me to the "done", and "what next" just wears me
out. It is a mean circle that hits me every day and finally all my doing will be done.
Then what do I have? (kind of Ecclesiastical huh?) Vanity of vanities all doing is vanity.
The voice heard from the Cave said this: " Elijah - go forth - stand - behold".
He was going to have an opportunity to meet with God...out side of the cave.
Wind (forcing destructive animation all around from above)...God's here ???? nope.
Earth Quake (forcing destructive animation all around from below) God's here ??? nope.
FIRE (woe --- the heat will always change something forever) God ??? nope again!
Then something happened that caused him to cover himself in his mantle and listen:
most of you could tell me the next line ... but let's see what comes from this still small voice.
Elijah hears a "still - small - voice"
"Still": almost silent, calming, stilling, astonishing, cleansing.
"Small": thin, small because of a crushing, a pulverizing to become like dust.
"Voice": a particularly significant voice, a sound almost musical, light and encouraging.
The voice said...(Note: repetition is the key to knowing what is important to God).
"What doest thou here...ELIJAH?"
Yes, we do connect on an important level on this side of Heaven because of the "doing".
But God connects with us forever He desires us...He knows the sweetest
thing that pierces our cold weary hearts and brings us to His side, is His Voice...calling our name.
"Adam" ... where art thou?
"Samuel"!
"What doest thou here..."Elijah"?
"Mary"...
Look beyond the window of "do-doing-done" and hear Jesus calling your name.
HLFA,
Jeff
