Our human side often means we like to take control of things.  The only problem with it is that sometimes this is at odds with what God wants to do.  God’s plan can even seem counter-intuitive at first, but as Isaiah 55:8-9 puts it:

⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Israel’s won its great battles by allowing God’s will to be done.  In 1 Chronicles 19, the new king of Ammon had made the King of Israel (David) an enemy and hired 32,000 chariots, plus an army from Syria, plus his own army to attack.  David sent Joab to lead the Israelite army there.  Joab found himself and the Israelites hemmed in from the front and rear, so what did he do?  He split the army, and said to his brother, Abishai:

¹³ Be strong and courageous! Let’s fight hard for our people and for the cities of our God.  And may the Lord’s will be done‘.

That day, Israel was victorious.  Despite the situation, Joab’s attitude was spot on!  What he said even formed part of the Lord’s Prayer much later: Your Will Be Done.  He acknowledged that God may have wanted a different outcome than the one he wanted!  When you’re in a tough spot, be strong and courageous, try your best, and the difficult part: Let the Lord’s will be done.

Don’t forget this Sunday is a time for sharing, come with a testimony, a song, a reading and share it to bless and encourage the Church.

Does God forget things? Well not quite, but he doesn’t remember our sins once we repent of them:

“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” ~ (Hebrews 8:12).

A slight difference then maybe, but surely it takes even more love and grace to ‘not remember’ something than it does to ‘forget’ it? i.e. making a conscious effort not to recall a person’s wrongdoing against you. Sadly, the world doesn’t always work like this – people hold grudges and their hearts become bitter and hardened, but someone’s sin can not be truly forgiven unless it is remembered no more!

That’s the kind of loving, gracious God we serve. He doesn’t want to examine our past, but looks towards our future instead. When some Pharisees brought a woman to Jesus who had been caught in the act of adultery they wanted to stone her for her sins. However when Jesus spoke to her he wasn’t concerned with condemning her for what she had done. Instead he simply said: “Go now and leave your life of sin”, (John 8:11).

That’s because God’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours, (Isaiah 55:9), but wouldn’t the world be a much brighter place if more people chose not to remember sins committed against them? That’s God’s challenge to us, and He’s already set the best possible example – by forgiving and not remembering our sins!

Check out the bible’s account of Elisha’s last days:

¹⁴ The prophet Elisha was sick with a fatal disease, and as he lay dying, King Jehoash of Israel went to visit him. “My father, my father!” he exclaimed as he wept. “You have been the mighty defender of Israel!”

¹⁵ “Get a bow and some arrows,” Elisha ordered him. Jehoash got them, ¹⁶ and Elisha told him to get ready to shoot. The king did so, and Elisha placed his hands on the king’s hands. ¹⁷ Then, following the prophet’s instructions, the king opened the window that faced toward Syria. “Shoot the arrow!” Elisha ordered. As soon as the king shot the arrow, the prophet exclaimed, “You are the Lord’s arrow, with which he will win victory over Syria. You will fight the Syrians in Aphek until you defeat them.” (Good News Bible)

In this passage, what did Elisha do when he lay there dying of sickness?  I’m sure most of us would’ve forgiven Elisha if he was more concerned about his own health and wellbeing at this point, but no; he carried on the Lord’s work, doing the work as the prophet he was called to be.  Right up to the end – amazing.  Furthermore, he even got angry with the Israelite King for not trying hard enough (a verse later).  So thorough in his work as a prophet, this shows even more how dead-set Elisha was on the Lord’s plans and purposes.

Even after Elisha’s death, God works through him:

²⁰ Elisha died and was buried.

Every year bands of Moabites used to invade the land of Israel. ²¹ One time during a funeral, one of those bands was seen, and the people threw the corpse into Elisha’s tomb and ran off. As soon as the body came into contact with Elisha’s bones, the man came back to life and stood up

Why did this happen?  At this point, Neither Elisha, the dead man, or the raiders were conscious of this miracle when it happened, God just did it, and he chose Elisha’s bones – so we’ll never fully know why, but at least we can certainly learn something out of this story.  Be encouraged to keep going right to the end, and we never know what works he will do through us, even at times we’re not aware!

When some disciples asked Jesus about how his teachings were different to those at the time he replied with some quite interesting imagery:

There are times in life when despite our strongest efforts tough circumstances appear out of our control, no matter how hard we try the circumstances remains the same. Irrespective of how these situations arise one thing always remains true – God doesn’t want to waste this time but to use it for good. God is interested in us, not just the circumstances and wants to grow our faith and reliance on him. He doesn’t want a people who source strength only from their own talents and abilities but draw strength from Him. A great verse to remember is from Jeremiah 17:7-8

⁷ “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
⁸ They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”

The heat and drought don’t cause any worry because the roots are firmly planted in the water, its source of strength. Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him! An entire year of drought doesn’t stop the tree bearing fruit because its strength isn’t in the changing circumstances but from the living water.

During years of heat and drought God wants us to focus on strengthening ourselves through him and the good news is we can still be fruitful even during these times. Remember, during the drought focus on the roots not the leaves! No matter what the situation God is using it for good. Romans 8:28:

²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, whohave been called according to his purpose.

John and Christine have returned from Romania this week, providing support for the poor villages.  The trip was a success, and as it turned out, more necessary than ever.

Over the summer months, there was a long drought and a severe hailstorm in Romania, completely destroying the crops.  Food was in very short supply, but God is good – through Bethany, he has answered the prayers of many families this year, to keep them warm and fed over the coming winter months.  Please continue to pray and support us – we’ve still to send the shoeboxes out this year for Christmas, so we pray that will be successful.

God’s ‘Still Small Voice’ is a familiar passage of scripture.  It comes from 1 Kings, and it’s about Elijah.  Elijah had just done amazing things – defeated prophets of a false God, and even prophesied the end to a three-year long drought.

Shortly after, and perhaps a sign of his human-nature, Elijah was fleeing from Jezebel, because she wanted to kill him.  Furthermore, he asked God to take his life because it was all too much – he was staying in a cave in Mount Sinai, when in 1 Kings 19, God does something unexpected (NIV):

¹¹ Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord wasnot in the earthquake; ¹² and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

¹³ So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

¹⁴ And he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”

¹⁵ Then the Lord said to him: “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria.¹⁶ Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. ¹⁷ It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. ¹⁸ Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

So why the quietness?  Well, first came the wind, earthquake and fire, and afterwards the quietness.  Was it this that caught Elijah’s attention and beckoned him out of the cave?  Either way, God gave him words instruction, and reassurance at just the right time – Elijah thought he was the only one left that hadn’t bowed the knee to Baal (a false God).  What a boost it must have been to receive news that he wasn’t on his own – 7000 others hadn’t!

The same applies to us today.  When things just get too much and we end up in our own proverbial cave, God knows what to do.  Sometimes it might be a miracle or a helping hand; others, simply being reassured and encouraged to keep going is what we need!