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I Kings 19: 11-13 (NIV)
The Lord said, “Go out and stand
on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountain apart and shattered the rocks
. . . but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind was an earthquake, but
the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the
Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. . . . Then
a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
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| There is little joy to be found in having unrealistic expectations.* |
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Unrealistic expectations can ruin our dreams and our
relationships. In our society, we are bombarded with messages that cause us to
think that if we want it bad enough and work hard enough, we deserve whatever
it is that we obsess over. The truth is, wanting and hard work aren’t always
enough. Luck, talent, opportunity, genetics (Danny Devito was never going to be
drafted by the NBA) – many factors are involved in how our lives turn out.
Keeping expectations real is a constant balancing act. Our
aspirations aren’t the only area where we have been misled into a fantasy
version of reality. Do any of these phrases sound familiar:
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Name it and claim it!
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Health and wealth gospel.
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Pray through.
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I know the plans I have for you . . .
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Just ask Jesus into your heart.
These
are just a few expressions that have caused people to look for God in all the
wrong places and with unrealistic expectations. They are based on unscriptural
principles or taken out of their intended scriptural context. Elijah was sent
out on the mountain to look for God in an object lesson for all of us. God was
not where Elijah expected him to be – not in the tornado; not in the
earthquake; not in the fire. We are in awe of God when confronted by forces of
nature but they are not how God usually chooses to speak to us. When he spoke
to Elijah, it was in a whisper. In order to hear a whisper, you have to lean in
and listen.
God
speaks to us through his word but sometimes his Spirit whispers to us in
unexpected ways to illuminate what we have read. I have heard his whisper
through (of all things) a commercial for feminine hygiene products, and through the delight of a needy
person upon receiving two rolls of toilet paper from a food pantry. He has
whispered his answer to me when I have voiced my despairing – and, I thought,
rhetorical – questions. He has whispered into my mind not what I expected to
say but what I needed to say.
Has
God ever spoken to you in an unexpected way? Nature testifies of God but we
must lean in and listen if we want to hear his voice.
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| Because we look for the bonfire, we miss the candle. Because we listen for the shout, we miss the whisper.* |
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