Daily Verse: 1 Kings 17:18

She said to Elijah, "What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?"

In the 17^th chapter of 1 Kings, Elijah encounters a woman that is basically starving from the drought that Elijah spoke into place at the will of God. We get a glimpse of God’s miraculous power as he provides continuous food for Elijah, this woman, and the woman’s son with what looked to be a tiny amount of flower and only a small splash of oil. The ingredients were so small to begin with that the woman had expected to make one last small meal and then die of starvation with her son. Yet, they ate on it for days. Later in chapter 17, the woman’s son got sick and eventually died. The woman returned to Elijah…in what appears to be anger…and says the words above in verse 18. Resting in the seat of the Monday Morning QB, I find it is easy for me to shake my head at this woman for her actions. Elijah is acting on behalf of God and here she is getting angry at him because her son has died. I get the sense that she might even be mocking him with the “man of God” reference. I can think “foolish lady” as if somehow I am immune from this type of behavior. Then I recall the other day…and last week…and even a month ago, when I was acting in a similar manner towards God. When something “goes south” in my life, the devil sneaks into the scene and starts convincing me that it’s somehow God’s fault…and that I am justified in shaking a fist at God for the mess I am in. When things are back to normal and all is well, shaking a fist at God seems like an absolutely terrifying place to be…yet at times, in the heat of battle, it seems justifiable and appropriate. How foolish I am. I am thankful today that God doesn’t hold my foolish behavior against me…that through Christ, it’s as if God says “I know you have been a fool , but I still love you and still welcome you into my presence.” I am sometimes overwhelmed by the incredible gift of Jesus…the way it erases all wrongs when logically there is NO reason why the wrongs should be erased. When we deserve nothing but to be thrown out with the trash, we are welcomed back into the kingdom with open arms. I pray that I would keep the realization of this incredible gift fresh in my mind the next time I get the urge to shake my fist heavenward…and choose to keep my hands in my pockets. To God be the glory!