Let’s start with a truth. According to 1 Corinthians 14:33 God is not the author of Confusion. He is however the author of peace. If you are bombarded by vacillating thoughts or struggle with the uncertainty in your decisions between what is right or wrong you are not alone. Many find themselves in this overwhelming place at one time or another.
Elijah, in 1 Kings 18, has gathered all the people of Israel including the prophets of Baal and says, “How long will you falter between two opinions?” This is a whole nation he’s speaking to. This is our nation right now. Not only is this a problem on a national secular level but it is a private and personal problem on the individual and spiritual level.
This very problem is what causes division and the break down of every kind of relational sect. We know that a nation divided against itself can not stand. A couple divided against itself will crumble. A mind divided against itself will cause self-inflicted pain and dissolution.
What causes this? What does this passage teach us?
Elijah takes them all up on the mountain where the altar of the Lord was. This was the place where they offered up their sacrifices to the Lord and the Lord would hear their cry and answer from heaven. Here is the problem. When he gets there, the altar is broken down.
A broken altar will cause confusion every time.
What is an altar? It is the place of prayer and supplication. The place you regularly meet with the Lord. It is your quiet place. The place where you shut out the noise of the outside to be quiet and hear what the Lord would say. It is in this place and in his presence we receive peace, direction and when needed, answers.
Without an altar you are continually bombarded with distractions and differing thoughts and ideas about every possible thing. We like Elijah have to find out that God is not in the wind, the earthquake or the fire. He is the still small voice. The altar is where you clean out the confusion from your heart and mind and wait to hear the answers. It’s were we can hear his voice.
How does it become broken?
This story shows us that the people had followed after the false Baals and offered their sacrifices to them. This is a picture of how the people who are called by God’s name leave off from their personal time and communion with him to run after the things of the world and whatever is popular at the time. They mock when others try to persuade them that they are going the wrong way or straying too far. They tear down the altar and build new ones to the god’s of this world. They are distracted by the cares of this life. They make the altar the first thing they don’t have time for.
What’s crazy is the prophets of Baal in this chapter harmed themselves to get answers. They cut themselves in an attempt to get answers. They went to extremes to be heard. This is all too familiar to us in this society. People are hurting and confused and this confusion can cause self harm.
But there is a solution. You don’t have to be filled with confusion. You can know the mind and heart of your Father. You can know what good things he has in store for you. You can know what it is to come to him with questions and pain and have him answer and give you direction when you don’t know which way to go.
You do what Elijah did. He repaired the altar that was broken down. (1 Kings 18:30-31) You pick up your stones and one by one you rebuild. You come back into communion with the one true God who knows how to prove who he is to you. He is not intimidated by your questions or struggles. He welcomes the opportunity to show you who he is.
The bonus is that it won’t only be you who see’s God work and answer but all those watching will see. We read in V.39 “Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!””
Living this kind of testimony will give you incredible clarity and strength. After this event Elijah had such supernatural power that he destroyed every false idea that day, took out every false prophet which describes the false words we’ve heard, listened to and believed and then he out ran King Ahab in his chariot.
Our lives are busy and full of every kind of demand. We need His strength to out run our enemy and overcome every lie and hurdle that comes to trip us up.
If you need strength to run your race its found at the altar. So I ask again. How long will you falter between two opinions? You do not have to be confused and tossed to and fro in your mind and in your life. There is a clear and right answer and your Father has it. I like the way the New Living Translation says this in 2 Corinthians 6:2. “For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you. ” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.”
We are told in Hebrews not to harden our hearts. If you think of your natural heart having hardened arteries you will see this truth. If you don’t soften them your life is on the line. If you continue in your habits it is only a matter of time before the life flow of blood can not get to your heart to keep you alive. It is the same in the spiritual. Let the Lord take out the stoney heart and give you a heart of flesh. Let his blood flow again and bring new life.
He is already there waiting for you. Come to the altar.
Blessings to you and yours,
Jaime Luce
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Above image: Clarity is a two-way street.Getty
