A tale of 2 mountains

In my previous post, I mentioned about Elijah  where God questioned him as to why he has gone to Mt Horeb.  Before coming to Horeb, Elijah was at another mountain, Mt Carmel, where he alone contended with the false prophets of Baal and Asherah.  The contrast between these two mountains cannot be more startling.  In life, we can spend an inordinate amount of time in one mountain at the expense of the other.

Mt Carmel represents our life filled with activities and performance, just like Elijah where he conducted a miracle campaign in front of the people of Israel with showmanship thrown in for good measure.  To be sure, he called on God to rain down fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice.  God answered his prayer and the Israelites acknowledged Jehovah as the true God. Elijah had all the false prophets slain. It was, to say the least, a very successful outcome to the contest Elijah had thrown the gauntlet at the false prophets. However, this great performance took a toll on Elijah's socio-emotional well-being.  No wonder he suffered a burnout and went into depression at the threat from Jezebel.   It was indeed a spiritual battle at its peak whereby the forces of darkness were sent helter-skelter.  Our life is a constant battle between good and evil, whether we are involved in spiritual or so called secular work.

Mt Horeb represents our life filled with quietness and refreshing as we wait for God to speak and minister to us.  We certainly do not have knowledge of all things and sometimes we need to hear a revelation from God to enable us to put things in perspective.  As we allow God to mould us, our lives would be transformed by the His power, just like Elijah where he was no longer afraid of Jezebel's threat and went back to continue the rest of what God intended him to do.  Mt Horeb is time alone with God as opposed to attending a prayer meeting whereby it can degenerate into performance mode, if we are not careful.  It is less of talking and more of listening to God, which is a great discipline by itself.

The question to ask ourselves: Which mountain am I spending most of my time in 2013?
Certainly, we cannot avoid Mt Carmel but we have to endeavour to spend more time at Mt Horeb.
May the new year 2014 bring us more to Horeb!

An Interview with God

I’ve had the privilege of being in interview panels interviewing students either for a special programme or for a scholarship.  I have also interviewed adults wanting to join the education service.  I have sat in interview panels where teachers are being interviewed for key personnel positions.  At the same time, I had also been interviewed for key appointment positions as well.

One common denominator in interview panels is that there is usually a chairperson accompanied by at least 2 others.  How successful you will be is determined by how well you answer the questions that would be posed to you.  Questions are asked to draw out the character and values of the person, apart from sizing up his/her intellectual capacity and knowledge of things around.  

Job wanted an audience with God to present his case.

³ If only I knew where to find him;

    if only I could go to his dwelling!⁴ I would state my case before him    and fill my mouth with arguments.  Job 23:3-4 (NIV)

God did answer Job in the form of an interrogation or interview.

“Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.”   Job 38:3 (NIV)

Imagine having an interview with God – a panel constituting of the Godhead.  This is not an interview to determine your entrance to heaven.  If you are a believer, that has already been settled by Christ’s death on the cross of Calvary.

Let’s say it’s an interview to determine your level of preparedness to meet your Creator.  What might He ask you?  As 2013 draw to a close, I would like you to ponder these questions by way of personal reflection with regard to our relationship with God.

1.      What are you doing here?  (1 Kg 19:9)

Elijah went to Horeb (or Mt Sinai where the Law was given through Moses), the mountain of God to seek Him.  God did not summon him to go there. In fact, God has need of Elijah to continue His work.  Hence the question: What are you doing here? Not an usual question to start off an interview as most interviewers would like to find out the reasons why you are applying for the position / programme / scholarship?

You must understand that God is all-knowing.  The reason why He asks questions is so that we can verbalize what’s in our heart.  For Elijah, he sought God to tell Him how zealous he had been for God while all the rest have rejected Him.  But his pride turned into self-pity when he realized his life was in danger and like the rest, he would soon be killed as well.  Earlier Elijah had prayed: “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.”   1 Kg 19: 4 (NIV)

After the display of wind, earthquake and fire, God asked the same question a second time.  When an interviewer asks the same question again, it means you have misunderstood what is asked and need to reframe your reply or seek clarification.  Elijah could have asked God for strength and courage to carry on but he didn’t; in fact, he gave the same response.

Elijah didn’t have complete knowledge of what was happening – you can say he was not organizationally aware – God had to remind him that there were still 7000 people in Israel who have not worshipped Baal.  He’s not a Dodo that is going extinct!

What are you doing here? 

Reflecting on the year 2013, what would say to God?

• Will you tell Him what you’ve done? Your  zeal & steadfastness for God, like Elijah
• Will you bring your complaints to Him? Unanswered prayers or burdens too heavy to bear
• Will you confess your weaknesses and ask Him for strength to carry on worshipping and serving Him?

2.      (a) Who do you say I am? (Mt 16:15)

A question to draw out your knowledge of the organization or whom you would be serving.  No one can know who Jesus is unless God reveals it to him/her.  Upon Peter’s confession of faith, Jesus promised to build His church.  Subsequently, all who profess faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord are part of this universal church. 

Who do you say I am?

Is He your Saviour?

Is He your Lord?

If not, why don’t you confess Him today?

(b)  Where are you? (Gen 3:9)

God is not so much interested in your physical location as to your spiritual location.  Certainly God knows where Adam and Eve were; God simply wants them to come clean before Him.  And you know what; they started to blame one another for what had happened.   Man blamed woman who blamed the snake.

Where are you?

If Jesus is Lord of your life, have you been obeying Him?

Are you going through the motions of being a Christian, holding to a form of godliness, but yet denying its power?

We can be persevering and working hard for the Lord, like the Ephesian church, but we can lose our first love for God.

On a scale of 1 to 10 (closest), how close are you to God?

3.      What is that in your hand? (Ex 4:2)

A question to see what you can offer in terms of talent, skills or expertise.  When you give whatever you have to the Lord, He will transform it into something wonderful, like the lad with the 5 loaves and 2 fishes to feed the 5000.  Moses had a lot of excuses to avoid being called to be the deliverer of Israel.  Many of us would defer to someone else for a task to be done. 

What is that in your hand?

Are you going to say nothing?

God has given us the ability to make wealth (Dt 8:18)

Have you been faithful in your tithes and offerings?

God has given us spiritual gifts for His service (1 Pet 4:8)

Have you been faithful in using the gift God has blessed you?

Now the final question.  Usually, the final question of an interview is “Do you have any questions for us?”  This is where the tables are turned where the interviewee can seek answers to queries he/she may have.  And the final question God has for you is no different.  It is an offer which no one should resist. 

4.      What do you want me to do for you? (Mk 10:51)

Blind Bartimaeus had a deep-seated longing to be healed of his blindness.  Ever since he heard of Jesus the miracle worker, he longed for the day to meet Him and to be touched by Him.  That day eventually came.  And like a little child who is not self-conscious, he shouted again and again with all his might, “Jesus Son of David, have mercy on me!”  With an intense cry like that, God cannot help but stop to attend to his need. 

What do you want me to do for you?

This is not a question whereby you have to think long and hard.

It should come spontaneously as a result of an intense and deep longing which you’ve been crying out to God all this while. Ask Him now!  God wants to hear you verbalize your need.

Character of Interviewer: The grace of God shone through in all the examples of the people God questioned in spite of their weaknesses and frailties.

For Elijah, God recognized his work on earth.  When he was running away due to the threat by Jezebel, God provided sleep and refreshment for him.  He knew his servant Elijah was tired and worn out and so asked him to anoint Elisha to succeed him.  But He didn’t grant him his request to die but took him home on a heavenly chariot.  Elijah’s translation to heaven is a type of the coming rapture which the omega-transition generation will experience, by-passing physical death.  Like Elijah, God will certainly recognize the work that you do for Him in this generation, despite the sufferings or persecutions you have to endure. 

“God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”   Heb 6:10 (NIV)

For Peter, his confession of Jesus as the Christ, the anointed of God, brought him into the glory realm before his death.   He saw Jesus glorified and in conversation with Moses and Elijah, whose experiences of ‘death’ were rather unusual.  One died and the body couldn’t be found; the other didn’t die but got translated to heaven.  Jesus, Himself, was to experience death & resurrection.  Like Peter, you may also be taken into the glory realm before your time to meet God.  However, this does not happen often and not to everyone.  If you do, it is His grace towards you. 

For Adam and Eve, their disobedience to God brought about toil, pain and death. However, out of this ominous situation, God’s grace shone brightly where the promised seed will crush the head of the serpent – referring to the salvation plan of God for mankind – and the clothing of animal’s skin for their nakedness. 

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”  Gen 3:18 (NIV)

We are all beneficiaries of this grace of God!

For Moses, he started off as a reluctant deliverer of Israel.  He grew into his job and it’s not an easy one having to lead about 2 million people across desert lands; many were stiff necked and rebellious people.  Moses’ patience was tested and he became the most humble man on the planet.  Despite his disobedience, God allowed Moses to see the Promised Land (west side of Jordan) from afar and God Himself buried Moses (Dt 34:6).  How would you like God to conduct your funeral service?  O the wonderful grace of God!

For Bartimaeus, he received his sight!  And likewise, you too if you keep knocking on heaven’s door. 

When we are discouraged, fearful and anxious, all we could hear is the voice of the enemy taunting us – telling us to give up; just like the words of Jezebel sending Elijah fleeing for his life and wanting to end it all. When you quieten yourself down, as what Elijah did in the cave of God, you will be sensitive to God speaking.  He received instructions to go back and complete some unfinished business.  His fear and anxiety dissipated when he realized he wasn’t the only left and God could use ungodly people to fulfill His will in getting rid of unrighteousness, including Jezebel.

Do you have unfinished business from God? 

Remember that God will not take you to a place where His grace cannot sustain you.

God’s reply to all of us is and will always be:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”   2 Cor 12:9 (NIV)

It is God’s grace that will see us through the challenges of 2014 as well.  Keep close to God and listen to His instructions for our lives.