When God Turns on the Light
GM. Elijah may almost seem like a superhero when you read through some of the events in his life: He’s the prophet who calls down fire from heaven a number of times, most famously in the Battle on Mt Carmel with the Prophets of Baal. At the end of his life, he ascends into Heaven in a whirlwind with chariots of fire.
But he’s also one of the most relatable people in the Bible who suffered from fear and depression. He ran away more than once in fear of confrontation.
That encourages me. If Elijah, who saw God’s power on Mount Carmel, could still wrestle with weakness and be used by God, then there’s hope for you and me. Jesus alone is perfect. The rest of us are ordinary believers who God can use if trust Him even when we’re trembling and feel worthless like Elijah.
Elijah’s story begins here in 1 Kings 17. He appears out of nowhere to announce to King Ahab that there will be no dew or rain until he says so! Then God sends him to a brook with fresh water and food delivered by ravens, Israel’s first version of Door Dash. For three peaceful years Elijah rests by that brook.
Sadly, vacation ends, and real life begins. Elijah’s brook dries up, and God says, “Arise, go to Zarephath. I’ve commanded a widow there to feed you.”
That is one of those moments when God interrupts the easy rhythm of life. We’ve all had that happen when jobs ends, we lose friends and God says, “Now it’s time to move.” When that happens, we often panic. But God is not punishing us, He is preparing us.
God’s purpose for His children is to keep them dependent on resources outside themselves. Every picture of the church in the New Testament is plural, a body, a flock, a family.
We were never made to be independent Christians sipping at our own private brooks. When God lets something dry up in your life, it may be because He is about to teach us something about how we need to minister to others.
God has sent Elijah not back to Ahab’s palace, not even to minister in Israel, but to a poor widow in a pagan village. She is gathering sticks to cook what she believes is her last meal. Elijah’s probably thinking, “Lord, are you sure this is the woman who’s supposed to feed me?” And that is the point. God often chooses the least likely people to show His greatest power.
The widow obeys Elijah’s request and shares her last handful of flour and oil. God blesses her. The jar of flour and jug of oil never run out. Every morning, she finds enough for that day, not a year’s supply, just enough for her daily bread, like the manna in the wilderness.
Now here’s where the story takes an amazing turn. Tragedy strikes her home and her son dies. In her grief she turns against Elijah,
What have you against me, O man of God? Have you come to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son?
It’s heartbreaking, but what’s especially interesting for us is she thinks her son died because God noticed her, and that she was a sinner. In her mind, being close to Elijah made her more visible to God, and that was dangerous. She believes that if God is paying attention to her, it can only be to punish.
You’d be surprised how common that is. Not necessarily said out loud, but felt in the heart. “I’m better off keeping my distance from church or the Bible, God might see what I’ve done.”
The truth is, we might see what we have done.
This widow feared exposure, not because she didn’t believe in God, but because she misunderstood who He is, like many misunderstand the church, and how God wants us to bring mercy and forgiveness to repentant sinners. So there is some Judgment, because to see their sin, they need to see how they violate God’s law, but then they need to see how He seeks repentance, not punishment.
She thought God’s attention meant judgment. That same fear still keeps people away from the light today. John says of Jesus in John 3:19,
The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their works were evil.
We hide in darkness not because it is nice, but because we are afraid of what the light will show about us. And it can show some ugly things. But the light of God is not a spotlight meant to humiliate us, it is the lamp a surgeon needs to see the disease that needs to be cut out.
When God turns on the light, He does not do it to condemn us but to cleanse us. That is what confession really is, stepping into the light and saying, “Lord, I see what You see. You’re right about me. Please make me clean.”
Back to our story - With mercy in his heart for this widow who cared for him, Elijah prays, “O Lord my God, let this child’s life come into him again.” And the Lord hears Elijah’s prayer, and the boy came back to life.
Hopefully, it’s easy to see the application. While God is a Judge who we will stand before on the last day, he is also a Heavenly Father longing to forgive repentant children. He is a Father who so loved the world that He gave his only son, that whoever believes will not perish, but have everlasting life.
The problem is, often we can’t see it, or don’t want to see it. You can’t confess what you refuse to see. You can’t heal what you won’t expose. And you can’t be filled if you pretend you’re not empty.
It’s very similar to Jesus interaction to the Pharisees from our Gospel lesson this morning. They constantly rebuke Jesus for eating with sinners and tax collectors. Jesus response is that He has come for the sick not the healthy. The problem with the Pharisees is that they think they are healthy, but they also are sick.
God loves you too much to let you stay in the dark. Sometimes He dries up brooks, changes plans, or shines His light into your fears so that you finally say, “Lord, I need You.” Elijah’s story with the widow ends where the Gospel begins, with life coming out of death. The widow thought God had come to judge her, but He came to redeem her. She feared exposure, but she found mercy.
If the light of God is shining on something in your life today, don’t run from it. Let it heal and lead you to confession, forgiveness, and restoration.
