Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
We return to the example of Elijah as we consider “the prayers of all saints” “before the throne” of God (Revelation 8:3-4). James 5:16-17 presents Elijah to us as a model of prayer. Some might be troubled that “he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.” This paucity of precipitation precipitated a predicament – famine (I Kings 17:2-24). How could a godly man pray for something so seriously ruinous? The answer is found in Deuteronomy 28:24: “The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.” The entire chapter contrasts blessings and curses. If the people followed God (especially his commandment against idolatry), they would be blessed; if they deserted God, their land would become a desert. With only 7,000 believers in Israel (I Kings 19:18), Elijah prayed based upon God’s unchanging character and specific statements. His supplication was not cruel, for the eternal consequences for millions of people were far worse than temporary drought and famine. Elijah’s perspective aligned with God’s, and the outcome was a mighty demonstration of God’s power. May we care this deeply about the eternal destination of others as we pray.