Today's Scripture Reading (January 7, 2023): 1 Kings 18
Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes,
"There is a time for
everything, and a
season for every activity under the heavens" (Ecclesiastes 3:1). And then
Ecclesiastes lists some things that seem to be common sense and some that might
seem to be surprising to our ears. Among the common-sense times is that there
is a time to be born and a time to die (Ecclesiastes 3:2). Near the end of
2022, my next-door neighbor died unexpectedly. It made for a tough Christmas
for her family and really for all of us who loved her and appreciated her presence
in our neighborhood. But it was her husband who summed up this thought from
Ecclesiastes. In his broken English, still in shock from losing his wife of
over fifty years, he said, "We all come. We all go." It is a truth
that we all experience. We all suffer the same fate; we come, and we go.
Among
the more surprising comments is that there is "a time to love and a time
to hate, a
time for war and a time for peace" (1 Kings 19:8). I struggle with that
thought because I am not sure that I recognize "a time to hate."
There are people with whom I have significant disagreements, and hate might be the
easy path, but I never feel like it is the right journey for me to travel. And
so, I try to work hard at loving those with whom I am in conflict and making
sure that they know that I love them and that I am praying for them. The same
is true for a time of war. Theologians have spent a lot of time trying to
figure out what makes a just war. At the same time, they recognize that there
have been few, if any, wars that could truly be called "just or righteous"
in the history of our planet.
Elijah
experiences another moment Solomon does not include in his list of things for
which "there is a time" in our experiences; a time to hide and a time
to make your presence known. For the past three years, God has made it clear
that, for Elijah, this is a time to hide. But now God is ready to act one more
time. But before he can go to work, he needs Elijah to make his presence known
to the King.
From
Elijah's point of view, hiding was probably the more comfortable task. He knows
that the King and all of Israel's political leaders would like nothing more
than to get their hands on the prophet and cause him harm. But God has spoken,
and whether it is comfortable or not, now is the time for Elijah to allow Ahab
to find him.
And
the same is true for us. There are times when it is appropriate for us to fade
into the background and remain hidden, and there are times when we need to
stand and let ourselves be seen. Personally, I am more comfortable operating in
the background, which makes what I do in my daily life a little surprising. But
I have friends who are more comfortable in the center of attention. However,
whichever place where we might find our personal comfort, God has declared that
there will be in our lives a time for both.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 19
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