Voice of Heaven

I read: 1 Kings 17-19

Finally a break from the bling-bling and the "and he killed this dude and took over as king" stuff! Instead, we get a great little section here which outlines the debut of none other than Elijah, prophet extraordinare. These three chapters include the famous God-fire burning down the altar in the face of the idol-worshippers who couldn't get a spark and the calling of Elisha. But what I want to take a look at is an event before all that: Elijah's misadventures during the drought.

Like any good minister/missionary, Elijah goes the route of seeking support. God hands it to him on a silver platter: through daily miracles, a widow will have enough food left over from a bottomless grain jar to make food for Elijah and herself and her son. Elijah gets a room at her place and everything is cool while he's on the run. Then her son dies and she is understandably upset. Not just because her son died, but she was housing a man of God and you think that should grant you some favor with the Almighty, right? That's reasonable.

Elijah responds by praying fervently for the boy to be resurrected. While what he does is admirable, the way he does it might be considered a way to quickly destroy your ministry today. Read it and see what I mean. But that's not the cool part, here's the cool part, what the widow says after her son comes back to life: "I see it all now--you are a holy man. When you speak, God speaks--a true word!" (17:24).

When you speak, God speaks. How amazing of an idea is it that you can open your mouth and speak and no that what you say is in agreement with the heart of God. Or as the lyricist of "Be Thou My Vision" put it: "Heart of my own heart, whatever be fall." I have had a lot of trouble with that line. It seems rather arrogant and prideful to make God follow you. But I think, after considering the widow's statement here, is that yeah, it's a lofty idea, but it's a valid one. Knowing God so intimately and constantly seeking his truth gives us that kind of authority with which to speak. And he wants us to speak with that kind of authority, that's why we're Christ's ambassadors! That's why we're the church, the bride of God.

I think that makes a worthy prayer: that our speech is God's speech and that our hearts match the heart of God. Not an easy prayer, one that we will fall short of nearly every time we open our mouth (see James 3:2) but one of those unattainable goals that our life in Christ provides us with.