Saints In Wrong Places

Things turned out differently for Elijah because he was tuned into hearing God’s still, small voice. Elijah wound up in the wrong place, but instead of committing a sin to try to weasel out of it, Elijah heard the voice of God. The Lord gave him some very specific directions and he obediently returned to the wilderness to carry them out. Elijah had gone to the wrong place, but in his submittedness to God, it was instructive and redemptive.

What happens when you find yourself in the wrong place? When you find yourself looking at the wrong images on your computer? When you wind up in a verbal smack-down with someone on Facebook? When you are in the middle of the tv show or a movie and you see something that makes you cringe? When you find yourself delighting in the embarrassment, failure of fall of a politician, public leader or just someone who has offended you? What happens when you open your mouth and gossip, bitterness or complaining comes tumbling out? When we go to the wrong places, that’s where sin rushes in to meet us.

The good news is that God says to you, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” The bad news is that God says to you, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Because, like Elijah discovered, you can run but you cannot hide from God. He stands there waiting to see what we will do.

Like our beloved saints in the Bible, we go to those wrong places. But it’s what we DO in those wrong places that will determine God’s response to us. And we want to be like Elijah when even on the run, even in the darkest cave, we are submitted to God and hear the quiet, small, still voice of the Holy Spirit.

When we are submitted to Him, we will hear His voice. “What are you doing here? Turn that program off.” “What are you doing here? Just walk away from your computer.” “What are you doing here? Tell her you’re sorry and ask for her forgiveness.” “What are you doing here in this place of bitterness and judgement. Why are you saying those things to him?” What are you doing here?...”

And like Elijah we need to stop what we’re doing. We need to repent for being in the wrong place and confess any sins that we’ve given in to while we were there. And we need to ask God to show us the right place. The place where He wants us to be.