Study 75
Intimacy with God
God displayed his power, tearing mountains apart, shattering rocks and causing an earthquake. Then he drew close to Elijah with a gentle whisper. It wasn’t the magnificent display of power that attracted Elijah to the mouth of the cave, but the soft voice that spoke to him of God’s tenderness and love. Accountability to God must be accompanied by intimacy with him, because we will receive healing and restoration only when the two are brought together. We must hear the voice that asks, ‘What are you doing here?’ but also have our ears tuned to the gentle whisper that says, ‘You are precious to me. I know what’s happening’ – the voice that woos us tenderly back into God’s purposes.
God purrs over you
God isn’t interested merely in how you can serve him. He wants you to hear the clear, gentle whisper, ‘I love you. I’m for you. I know your sighing, your longings, and your heartbreak. I know what you’ve been doing for me and how little you’ve been appreciated for it. I hear you when you cry out in desperation.’ It’s this gentle whisper that melts your heart.
David said, ‘He rescued me because he delighted in me’ (Ps. 18:19). That’s one of the greatest truths in the whole Bible. God is delighted with you. When God whispers into your ear, ‘I’m delighted with you,’ it’s almost too much to bear.
I once looked up ‘delight’ in the dictionary. It said ‘great pleasure and satisfaction’. But I wasn’t satisfied with that, so I searched for it in a thesaurus. This is what I found: ‘laugh, smile, get a kick out of, hug oneself, rave, bask in, enjoy, wallow, have fun, exhilarate, relish, elate, thrill, ravish, intoxicate, entrance, enrapture, purr.’ Isn’t that wonderful? When God looks at you he purrs with delight!
Have you ever fallen in love? You’re in a room full of people and suddenly you realise, ‘She noticed me!’ The Bible says, ‘You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes’ (Song of Songs 4:9). Or have you ever seen parents with their first baby? ‘Isn’t he wonderful?’ they say. ‘He looks just like his Dad. Did you see his reaction just then? His first smile.’ God purrs over his people just like that.
How do I find healing from exhaustion? It lies in the gentle whisper from God, ‘I love you. I’m delighted with you. You make my heart sing whenever I see you.’ That’s what overwhelmed great Christians throughout history and that’s what restores your soul – a fresh experience of intimacy with God and a new revelation of his grace.
Commission
God drew Elijah close to him then, to complete the prophet’s restoration, gave him a job to do. He did the same for Peter, who probably thought, ‘After what I’ve done, Jesus will never trust me again.’ But Jesus, having re-established a loving relationship with his disciple, said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.’ How stunned Peter must have been to hear those words repeated three times so that he really got the message, ‘I still want to employ you.’ Little did he know just how greatly he would be used?
‘Go back the way you came,’ God told Elijah (1 Kings 19:15). Then he continued, ‘When you get there…’ This was no vague commission, a sort of pat on the head and a general comment, ‘Off you go. You’ll find your way somehow.’ No, there was a specific job for Elijah to do. I expect that in his desolation he thought, ‘I’m finished. I’ll never speak to a king again.’ In fact, Elijah’s new commission didn’t consist merely of addressing one king, but of anointing two! (see 1 Kings 19:15,16).
Furthermore, while he’d come to regard his life as valueless, God regarded it as worth reproducing! He was going to give him a disciple – Elisha. Some commentators say that the two prophets spent ten years working together. One failure hadn’t destroyed all the excellent characteristics that God had built into Elijah. And no feelings of desolation that you may have experienced will nullify all that God has taught you over the years.
God was telling his servant, ‘You’ve been on your own long enough, so I’m giving you a friend, someone you can care for and train to take over from you. Contrary to your expectations, your ministry isn’t finished. I want you to stop thinking about yourself and to start concentrating on Elisha. He doesn’t know as much about me as you do. Give yourself to him, pray for him and teach him everything you know.’
God has a wonderful way of working healing into weary people. If you drift away from him, he doesn’t abandon you. No matter what you do, you’re always his delightful child. His thoughts about you have never changed and never will. Surely this is what grace is all about.
To Meditate On
Different individuals all declare the wonder of Jesus’ birth.
‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called, Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end’ (Is. 9:6,7).
‘He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end’ (Luke 1:32.33).
‘My eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel’ (Luke 2:30-32).
‘The word became flesh and lived for a while among us’ (John 1:14).
Food For Thought
The Lord delights in …
‘the way of the man whose steps he has made firm’ (Ps. 37:3).
‘those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love’ (Ps. 147:11).
‘his people’ (Ps. 149:4).
‘those whose ways are blameless’ (Pr. 11:20).
‘those who are truthful’ (Pr. 12:22).
‘you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing’ (Zeph. 3:17).
To Consider
Read the following and note God’s tenderness towards us.
Deuteronomy 32:10-14; Isaiah 30:18; 54:10; 40:1,2; Jeremiah 31:3,20; Hosea 11:1-4
To Do
This week imitate God’s care for our physical needs by inviting a single person to your home for a meal or coffee and cake. Alternatively (if appropriate) invite him/her out for food in a restaurant/café and pay the bill!
To Be Inspired
‘Jesus’ coming is the final and unanswerable proof that God cares.’
William Barclay
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