Theological Commentary: Click Here
Discipleship Focus: Grace
- Grace: Grace comes to us when we make mistakes and have a failing of character. Grace comes to us when we have a typical D2 moment. Grace comes to us when we need space to recognize a mistake, repent of it, and allow God to redeem it while calling us back into His will. Grace is partnered by Time and Vision.
What a
wonderful chapter in which to study grace.
Elijah, perhaps the greatest prophet ever known, gives us an opportunity
to learn from his example. His boldness
in faith in the last chapter turns into a bold rebuttal from Ahab and
Jezebel. They vow to kill him. So he runs away and asks God to die.
I can’t
help but hear Jonah in Elijah as he begs to die. I can’t help but wonder if that aspect of
humanity isn’t within us all. When we’re
in the moment of our life falling apart, don’t we all feel the temptation for
despair?
But then
God gives grace to Elijah. God allows
him the time to get through his temptation into despair. God feeds Elijah and invites him into His
presence where he can abide and learn and grow.
Then God gives Elijah a two-part vision: his enemies will be killed, but
that’s God’s business; Elijah needs to focus on discipling Elisha.
That’s
grace. Elijah wants to die. He’s followed God to the point that the world
has come to hate him. He’s been so
faithful that he can no longer see any connection to this world and he wants
his life to end. But God comes
along. God gives Elijah grace. He gives Elijah the ability to reconnect and
have a purpose. God graces Elijah with
the ability to not worry about changing the world but instead changing a single
person: Elisha.
That’s
God’s grace. Just when we think it’s
over, we find out it is only just beginning.
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