Don’t Force It

1 Kings 19:12

After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after a fire came a gentle whisper.

‘You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink’. There are really things in life we can’t force. Sleep for example. I’m not insomniac or anything, but there are those nights, especially in anticipation for a full next day, that I can’t simply find sleep. Tossing and turning for an hour is so irritating and frustrating. Experts recommend total relaxation to free the brain and muscles from tension. And if it still wouldn’t work, they say get out of bed for it might have already associated your lying down with unhappiness. In short, trick your mind. But nothing seemed to work on the eve of my wedding. ‘Til I bent my knees and prayed. Truth is, only ‘God grants sleep to those He loves’. No tricks. No pills. All grace.

Zeal. It was Elijah’s description of his ministry. Confronting the highest rulers of the land TO confining himself with ravens and a widow TO climbing Mount Carmel for a display of fire and rain. He knew he pushed his all to perform his call. Feeling hard pressed and crushed, perplexed and in despair, persecuted and abandoned, struck down and he knew what’s next – he will be destroyed. ‘I did my best, but my best wasn’t good enough’ could be his night’s song. There were no more pages in his DIY books. No more sites that Google or Wiki can open, or offer. He was drained, empty and an admitted failure. He can’t turn Israel back to God. Not via preaching. Nor by miracles. After his litany, which God sincerely listened to, Elijah was asked to stand on the mountain. Before his very eyes came the wind then the earthquake then the fire. The last one was an orchestrated dejavu to prepare his heart for God’s gentle whisper. When he heard it, only then did he cover his face with his cloak. That was God’s presence. It did calm his soul. But based on his repeated answer to God’s repeated question, he wasn’t all back yet. So since relaxation half-fixed him, God called him out of bed and gave tasks to focus on. All were his needed proof that he was not alone and his ministry's not over yet. What came as a surprise to Elijah was the remnant of 7,000 Israelites, whose knees have not bowed down to Baal, whose hearts remained devoted to God - - with or without his efforts. No wind nor earthquake, not even fire can reform hearts – nothing but God’s gentle whisper.

Serving in the kids worship ministry has been a weekly faith-stretch for me. No amount of preparation or creativity or fancy can predict what will transpire when you’re with kids. It’s another thing of course if you come in unprepared. That’s planning to fail. Last Sunday was one of those down moments – if I’d look at it my way. They were so distracted, non-participative and loud. I’ve exhausted all skills I’ve acquired in my 20 years of ministry – to no avail. I sat back, thought a lot, and felt discouraged. Quitting came as an idea too, but that I readily dismissed. Then this devotion. Guess I too was counting much on zeal and the concept that success equals big things. But with or with me - with or without wind, earthquake or fire – it is ultimately God who will make things happen, even with a just a breath of His whisper. Only His Spirit can work in the hearts of those little tots. Not by might, nor my power. There are just things in life we can’t force. I love how Larnelle Harris sang it: ‘It’s not in trying but in trusting, not in running but in resting, not in wondering but in praying, that we find the strength of the Lord’. Now, that’s a breeze :>