He’s not there

Joke: A middle aged woman had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital. While on the operating table she had a near death experience. Seeing God she asked, “Is my time up?” God said, “No you have 43 years, 2 months and 8 days to live.” Upon hearing this, the woman decided to stay in the hospital and have a facelift, liposuction and a tummy tuck. She even had someone change her hair color. Since she had all this extra time she thought she would make the best of it. She was released from the hospital but while crossing the street on her way home, she was hit by a car and killed. Arriving in front of God, she demanded, “I thought you said I had another 43 years?” Why didn’t you pull me out of the path of that car?” God replied, “I didn’t recognize you.”

————————————————————————-

1 Kings 19:9–12 (NIV): And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” 11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

Elijah said he was zealous for God. Others were destroying alters, putting prophets to death, but Elijah said, in the midst of what everyone else is doing I want to honor you, worship you, pursue you.

So he is told to go to the mountain, and there a great wind passes, an earthquake shakes the foundation, and then a fire. Surely God has to be in the fire. After all that’s where Moses had encountered Him.

But Scripture tells us that in all of them God was not in them. Then a gentle whisper. . .
May I purpose to you that often times we miss God not because he left, or isn’t there but simply because we didn’t recognize Him because He showed up in a way that we didn’t expect.

God may at times be in the loud thunderous blasts of the day. Like in 2 Kings, Elijah was carried off in a whirlwind, or in the book of Acts when Paul and Silas were in prison and an earthquake shook the prison and opened the doors.

But then there may be times just like this encounter in 1 Kings you will find God in the gentle whisper.

If you are always looking for God to move in the same way, under the same circumstances then most likely there will be times when you miss what the Father is trying to say.

Alfred Brendel said that The word “listen” contains the same letters as “silent”.

Sometimes it’s in the silence that we hear God the most.
Genesis 28:16 (NIV): 16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”

Jacob had just had a dream in which angels were going up and down a ladder and when Jacob woke up this was his response, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”

Church I’m convinced that some will come to a house of worship and leave never changed because the Lord showed up, but not like they expected. And they will miss Him because the music wasn’t their type, or to loud, or something else about worship service that they just couldn’t wrap their heads around.

Elijah had that problem of recognizing him, even those in the time of Jesus struggled in recognizing Him.

Isaiah 9:6–7 (NIV): 6 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 Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

Church we have an advantage with this Scripture we know because we have the book who this represented. But you need to understand that those in the days of Jesus read this and they were expecting a Savior to come and deliver the people from the Roman oppression and establish His kingdom in Jerusalem.

But when he came look what happened. . .

Mark 6:1–6 (NIV): Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith.

I find this to be one of the most fascinating and sad Scriptures, look what it says. . .

Verses 5 He could not do any miracles there. . .it doesn’t say he would not, but could not he was restrained. Why? Because they couldn’t receive Him as the Savior of the world. He came not as they expected, but rather as a carpenters son accompanied by a motley crew which he called disciples, he hung out with the outcasts, the tax collectors, former prostitutes and that just can’t be the Messiah that was going to deliver them from a Roman oppression.

Maybe they didn’t recall in the book of Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 18:18 (NIV): 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him.

But surely this wasn’t the prophet God was to send. Was it?

See the problem was their expectations were very different from who He actually was.

So, Jesus was restrained from doing any miracles think about that. The Son of God, filled with the Spirit of God without measure restricted by a people and Scripture says Jesus was amazed as well. . .amazed at what? Their lack of faith.

They had seen the miracles he had performed, was astonished at his teaching, amazed at His wisdom. Yet because He didn’t come as they expected they missed what He came for.

And church sometimes God will send us what we need in a package that doesn’t look like something we want.

They didn’t expect Jesus to come to Jerusalem on a donkey, so many missed Him on the grand entrance, why? Because it wasn’t what they expected.

We look for Him in the wind, and he wasn’t there. We look for him in the earthquake, and he wasn’t there, we look for him in the fire and find there too He wasn’t there.

So we find ourselves running from conference to conference, move of God to move God looking for Him. When He is right in our midst and we simply missed Him because He didn’t manifest they way we thought He should.

Listen I love conferences, I love hearing about God moving in different places, but if I can’t find Him in my prayer closet chances I won’t find Him in the other places either.
God may move in different ways at different times, for different people, and for different reasons. Don’t always expect the same thunderous enlightenment. There will be those OK God you have my attention moments. But then there will be those OK God I want to hear you so I’m just going to sit still and know that you are God.

As a matter Scripture tells us in Psalm 46:10 – 10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

Here’s another story where they didn’t recognize Jesus.

Luke 24:13–19 (NIV): 13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him. 17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people

Jesus walking with the two and they didn’t recognize Him. Maybe they forgot that he said, in three days I will rise. All they knew is that this man must have been the only one that didn’t hear the news of what happened in Jerusalem.

Look what was said next.

Luke 24:20–21 (NIV): The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.

We were hoping He was coming to redeem Israel, defeat Rome. Liberate us. That’s who they expected to come.

And so they journey to town still not understanding, seeing, recognizing that this was Jesus.
Then look. . .

Luke 24:28–31 (NIV): As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.

Church when God does things contrary to our expectations or our experiences, it doesn’t mean He isn’t present walking next to you, talking with you, He said He will never leave us or forsake us.

It’s in moments like that you need to walk by faith not by sight.

Thomas needed to touch the scars. . .

God may just be in the whisper. The must important thing you can do is just come before Him with an expectation, but don’t make it an expectation that it has to be this way, but rather an expectation that He will be there. However way He decides to show up.

Just say come Lord Jesus anyway you want and make me aware of Your presence. Use me God anyway you choose and help me recognize how You are going to.

Just expect Him to show up. And He will.

He desires to be with His children in which you are, so enter a His courts with thanksgiving and enter a His Gaye’s with praise and come expecting Him to move.