How are you?  Over the past few weeks, we have been considering this simple question with a complex answer.  Using the example of God’s ministry to his prophet Elijah in I Kings 19, we have already considered how God helps us maintain our physical and spiritual tanks.  Today, we are focusing on our emotional tank.  For many of us, this may be the tank that is the most unpredictable and difficult to maintain.  We seem to deal with unexpected changes in our emotional state that for many of us defy explanation.  Why do I feel blue today and ecstatic tomorrow?  The answer is complicated and involves physiological, environmental and even spiritual considerations.  I need to take this opportunity to say that I do not believe there are any quick fixes or easy answers to many of the challenges we face maintaining our emotional tank.  I realize many strong and faithful Christians struggle with their emotional state.  I do not want to trivialize their challenge.  However, I do believe God cares about our emotional state and I believe he has answers for many of our emotional challenges.  I think the example of Elijah in this passage is a perfect illustration of the complexity and challenges of our emotional tank and God’s response to those challenges.  Even after God has personally ministered to Elijah and filled his physical and spiritual tank, notice how Elijah feels in I Kings 19:14 when God asks him why he is holed up in a cave:

He said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 

If you could ask Elijah at this moment, “How are you?” he would likely respond, “alone and afraid.”  Even though God had enabled Elijah to enjoy a miraculous victory over the 450 prophets of Baal, the experience had emptied his tanks and Elijah turned tail and ran from the Queen’s death sentence.  Even after God personally tended to Elijah, providing him with nourishment and a powerful example of God’s power and presence, Elijah feels alone and afraid.  Elijah believes he is the only faithful servant left in the world and he seems to believe his mission is over.  Notice how God responds to Elijah in I Kings 19:15-18:

And the LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.  And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place.  And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death.  Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

First, God gives Elijah specific instructions that continue his mission and alleviate his fear.  He has marching orders from God and now the future is less cloudy than before.  Uncertainty is a common source of fear for many of us.  When we don’t have any idea of what the future may hold and times are tough, we can get apprehensive and fearful.  Although we can never know for sure what even the next moment may hold for us, we can gain comfort from knowing God is in control and we are part of his plan.  God reminds Elijah that he is part of God’s plan and God’s instructions demonstrate that God is in control.

Notice that God’s instructions communicate to Elijah that God will continue his mission through others.  Although God has worked miraculously through Elijah, he will also work in more subtle ways through political leaders.  Kings Hazael and Jehu will have a divine responsibility to continue to eliminate the prophets of Baal.  God also tells Elijah that he knows Elijah is close to retirement.  His instructions include the selection of Elijah’s replacement, Elisha. 

With these instructions, God reminds Elijah the future is secure because God is in control and he lets Elijah know he is not alone.  Elijah is joined in God’s mission by Jehu, Hazael and Elisha.  For good measure, God lets Elijah know there are at least 7,000 faithful servants left in the world that are also part of God’s mission.  God lets Elijah know for certain he is not alone and he has no reason to fear and so Elijah is able to return north in confidence with three full tanks.

I believe God has similar therapy for us when we feel alone and afraid.  First, we should always remember that God is in control and we are part of his divine plan.  He has equipped us for life and given us his power to obtain victory in this life.  Because of this promise, we can live without fear even though we do not know what the future holds in this life.  We are confident of what the future holds beyond this life!

Second, we should always remember that we are never alone.  We have each other in the church and that is a powerful gift from God to combat our loneliness.  However, even when church family fellowship fails us (and it will from time-to-time) and we feel alone in this world, remember God is with us.  We have fellowship with him and through Jesus Christ we are able to participate in his divine nature.  Since he is for us, who can be against us?  Meditate on that and let your emotional tank be filled.

I leave you with this powerful reminder from II Peter 1:3-4:

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.  

Next week, an offering of thanksgiving!

Until next week,

Meet me at the intersection!

 

How are you?  As we all know, this is a simple question masking a complex condition.  I believe God created us with three fundamental states that can be described as emotional, physical and spiritual tanks.  Last week, we considered our physical tank which I believe can be the foundation for the other tanks.  If your physical tank is empty, it can be a real struggle to maintain your emotional and spiritual tanks.  I believe that is why Jesus would frequently meet his followers’ physical needs before he would minister to their spiritual and emotional needs and I believe this is why God ministered to Elijah’s physical needs before moving on to deal with his spiritual and emotional tanks. 

Today, we are focusing on our spiritual tank.  For many of us, this may be the tank that is most often neglected which is ironic since I believe it is the tank over which we have the most control.  We all know from experience how fleeting our physical health can be as we are frequently reminded by the common ailments that plague us.  We also deal with unexpected changes in our emotional state that for many of us defy explanation.  Why do I feel blue today and ecstatic tomorrow?  The answer is complicated and involves physiological, environmental and even spiritual considerations.  I believe the bottom line is that God has not promised us good physical health nor has he promised us happiness.  However he has promised us that we can have consistent joy in this life. 

Many folks confuse happiness and joy.  Happiness is an emotion which comes and goes unpredictably as the events of life unfold.  Joy is a spiritual state that is a gift of God’s Spirit and reflects the condition of your spiritual tank.  God has given you the ability to keep your spiritual tank charged regardless of the state of your other tanks and as result you can experience joy even when you are physically or emotionally drained.  My friend, Ellis understands this truth and his example of perseverance through the trials of cancer over the past few years is a testimony to the power of a full spiritual tank.

Paul also understood the power of a full spiritual tank as evidenced by this statement he makes in Philippians 4:11-13:

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.  I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

I believe Paul addresses all three tanks in this passage.  Paul may be emotionally brought low or he may be abounding in happiness.  He may be struggling with hunger and need or he may be blessed with abundance and plenty.  These conditions are situational and largely outside of Paul’s control.  However, he has learned to be content.  In other words, regardless of the situation, he has contentment and joy in his life.  How?  The secret is in the last sentence – “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”  

I believe Paul is speaking spiritually when he says “I can do all things.”  There were certainly things Paul could not do physically as evidenced by the thorn in the flesh that reminded Paul of his physical weakness.  I also believe Paul struggled emotionally at times as his ministry weighed on him.  Many times Paul spoke of his grief over the actions of his brothers and sisters he cared for.  However, Paul knew he had access to a power that would sustain him spiritually regardless of his conditions.  Would you like to be able to “do all things?”  Let’s look at the example of Elijah to see how God re-filled Elijah’s spiritual tank so that he could continue to “do all things.”

There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Elijah needed to be reminded of God’s presence in his life.  Elijah needed to be able to say the same words Paul had said, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”  God demonstrates his power before Elijah as he commanded the elements on the mountain top.  As impressive as the demonstration was, the Lord was not present in the demonstration of power.  When God was ready to touch Elijah spiritually, he spoke to him in a low whisper.

It is good for us to consider the power and might of our magnificent creator God.  Look around at the creation and be prepared to be impressed at the grandeur found through the telescope and the microscope.  Consider the miracles recorded through-out the Bible and observe the providence of God as he works through human events to carry out his will.  However, as impressive as things are, they are the works of God and not his presence.  God’s presence is most often found in the low whisper of spiritual discipline.

David wrote in Psalm 46:8-11

 Come, behold the works of the LORD,
   how he has brought desolations on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
   he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
   he burns the chariots with fire.
“Be still, and know that I am God.
   I will be exalted among the nations,
   I will be exalted in the earth!”
The LORD of hosts is with us;
   the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Do you want your spiritual tank consistently full so you “can do all things?”  For a full tank, I must maintain my spiritual disciplines in addition to beholding his works.  I must read God’s Word and consider the truth found there.  I must pray to God frequently and ask, seek and knock and then I will find.  I must fast from time-to-time so that in my self-denial I can look to Him.  I must sing to the Lord and praise him with my lips.

Finally, I must meditate frequently and be open to God’s direction.  For me, the most difficult thing in the world is also the most important.  I must be still, and know that He is God.  I’m not very good at being still, but unless I am, how will I ever hear the low whisper?

Next week, we will conclude this series by looking at how God, having restored Elijah’s physical and spiritual tanks, gave Elijah a much needed emotional recharge.

Until next week,

Meet me at the intersection!

How are you?  How can such a simple question provoke such a complex response?  Perhaps the complexity of the answer is why we typically just say, “fine” even when that response clearly masks the truth.  A truthful answer would simply require more of an investment in time than you or your friend are willing to make.  After all, this common exchange is more of a courtesy than an honest inquiry into the well-being of the other individual, right?

This is probably true, but it’s still worthwhile to consider the reality behind the courtesy.  How are you really?  As I wrote last week, God created us with three fundamental states that can be described as emotional, physical and spiritual tanks.  Today, we are focusing on the physical tank.  It is the easiest tank for us to evaluate in others and in ourselves.  In some ways, it is the foundation for the other tanks.  If your physical tank is empty, it can be a real struggle to maintain your emotional and spiritual tanks.  I believe that is why Jesus frequently met his followers’ physical needs (feeding them and healing them) before he ministered to their spiritual and emotional needs.  I think you also see this same pattern as God ministered to Elijah in I Kings chapter 19.

After Elijah engaged in a spiritual showdown with 450 prophets of the false god Baal and defeated them through the power of God, Queen Jezebel passed a death sentence upon Elijah for killing the false prophets and she placed a bounty on Elijah’s head.  When Elijah heard about the death sentence, he turned and ran into the desert to escape the queen.  I Kings 19:3-4 recorded Elijah’s actions and his thoughts:

Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.  But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”

Why did the mighty Elijah turn tail and run even though God had already made him victorious over the 450 false prophets?  Because Elijah was human just like you and me and in the battle of the previous day, he had run his three tanks empty.  Notice how God ministered to Elijah, first concentrating on his physical condition.  Remember, Elijah had battled the false prophets all day without any recorded meals and then he won a foot race with King Ahab (who was in a chariot) from Mt. Carmel to Jezreel.  Read I Kings 19:5-8:

And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.”  And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again.  And the angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.”  And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.

When Elijah got to Horeb, God ministered to Elijah spiritually and emotionally but first he helped Elijah refill his physical tank.  I believe Elijah needed to have a full physical tank before God could deal with him emotionally and spiritually.

I have found this to be true in my life as well.  Last year I found myself running consistently on a low physical tank.  I was able to get through an average day OK but if the day was challenging, I had a difficult time dealing with things emotionally and I found it more difficult to focus on my spiritual disciplines.  I also came down with several infections in the summer and fall.  It is rare for me to get sick more than once or twice per year.  One Sunday morning, I got up to preach a lesson to my church family and I became very light-headed on the way to the pulpit.  I was scared by that experience and so that week I went to the doctor to get a physical evaluation.  I found out my thyroid was underperforming and a little hormone pill taken once per day has refilled my physical tank.  Within a few weeks of starting the hormone regimen, I couldn’t believe the difference in my daily energy level and how much more stable I was emotionally.  I also found my spiritual life reinvigorated.  It was shortly after I began feeling better that I was motivated to begin Intersections.  I thank God for my diagnosis and a quick and easy fix.  I know many others struggle with physical tank problems without a quick or easy fix.

This experience helped me appreciate the lesson of Elijah first hand.  It is very difficult to maintain our emotional and spiritual tanks when our physical state is out-of-whack.  However, it is not impossible.  I have been impressed and humbled by the examples of so many who have struggled with chronic or even terminal health conditions, suffering through chemotherapy and radiation treatments that leave their physical tanks bone dry while they seem to have emotional and spiritual tanks that overflow with energy.  In the right circumstances, I believe God can overcome the drag of a failing physical tank, recharging the other two tanks with the power of his Spirit.  Ellis, one of my friends and a genuine hero of the faith to me is a perfect example of this effect.  By the grace of God, Ellis has lived with his cancer two years longer than any doctor predicted.  During this time, Ellis has taken his chemotherapy which saps his physical strength but he is extremely positive at all times and he is a spiritual rock.  I am energized every time I see him simply from being in his presence. 

I also think you see this effect in the example of Jesus as he entered the wilderness for 40 days of fasting after which he was called to a face-to-face spiritual battle with Satan himself.  Although his physical tank was surely on empty, Jesus was completely victorious over the temptations of Satan.  I believe we can tap into that same power through God’s Spirit even when our physical tank is running low.  Over the next two weeks, we will continue to look at the example of Elijah and see how God refilled his emotional and spiritual tanks.  I think there are great lessons for us in the conclusion of this Bible story.

In the meantime, do everything in your power to take care of your physical tank this week.  Eat right, get enough sleep, take your vitamins, exercise appropriately and get regular health check-ups.  Don’t underestimate the importance of maintaining your physical tank so you are prepared for physical, emotional or spiritual battle.  It pays to always be prepared, because we never know when the battle will be upon us.

Until next week,

Meet me at the intersection!