About 30 years ago, country music artist Johnny Lee recorded the song “Lookin’ for Love In All the Wrong Places.” Those from that era probably remember it from the movie “Urban Cowboy.” While the song and the movie have little to do with finding substance in our faith, the title of the song accurately describes another of the facades that reinforce the mediocrity of our faith in Christ. We all too often look for substance in all the wrong places. In spite of the current mania for individualism, society has conditioned us to value the public experience over the private experience, and we often fall into this trap as believers. While it is true that God historically worked through the congregation of his people*, that congregation is only as strong as the faith of the individuals who comprise it. That in itself is a reason to examine ourselves.
The great public events are wonderful, but by definition they are the exception rather than the norm. They often provide a welcome and necessary boost to our faith, but they cannot sustain our spiritual lives. One of the best biblical examples is the story of Elijah’s challenge to the 450 Prophets of Baal and the 400 Prophets of Asherah on Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18. We know the story from our Sunday School days. Elijah, the prophet of the One, True God, challenged the Prophets of Baal and Asherah. Each would prepare a sacrifice according to their custom, but they would not put any fire under the sacrifice. Instead, each would appeal to his God to send fire from heaven to consume it. The Prophets of Baal and Asherah went first. They prepared the altar and sacrifice and prayed desperately to Baal to send fire from heaven. Of course, no fire came. That afternoon, it was Elijah’s turn. He not only prepared the altar and sacrifice, but had water poured over it until it was thoroughly drenched and the water collected in the ditch he had dug around the altar. Then, in contrast to the long, convoluted, and desperate prayers and antics of the false prophets, Elijah simply prayed,
“O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” (1 Kings 18:36-37)
Immediately fire fell from heaven and consumed not only the soaking-wet sacrifice Elijah had prepared, but also the sacrifice the false prophets had prepared. It was a great victory. The people clearly saw the power of God and his glory. When it was over, Elijah was so full of power that he out ran the horse of King Ahab on his way back to Jezreel. Problem solved, right? Well, no, the problem was not solved.
When it was all said and done, nothing really had happened. Ahab was still king. Jezebel was still as cruel as ever. Elijah still had a price on his head, and while the people had certainly seen the glory of God and had a great deal to think about, the 450 prophets of Baal still dined at the king’s table. Frankly, nothing had changed. In fact, the whole thing left Elijah exhausted, confused, and discouraged. The Scripture tells us that Elijah left his servant at Beersheba and fled into the wilderness. After a while he sat down under a broom tree† and said, “‘It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.’ (1 Kings 19:4)” In other words, Elijah was ready to quit because, in spite of the great and spectacular events on Mount Carmel, nothing had really changed. Elijah understood that the event has been more show than substance, and he felt he simply could not continue.
God had other plans, however. After a period of rest and recuperation, God led Elijah to Mount Horeb, the “Mount of God. (1 Kings 19:8)” (It is interesting and significant that God did not lead him back to Mount Carmel.) There God had a serious talk with Elijah, starting with the words, “Elijah, why are you here?” Once again, Elijah repeats his frustrations and pours his heart out to God. The essence of his discouragement was that nothing had changed and he was the only one left in all Israel that worshiped Jehovah. God then teaches Elijah a great lesson. He shows him three great manifestations of his divine power, a mighty wind, a frightful earthquake, and a raging fire. These were certainly spectacular events, but the Scripture is plain that the powerful, life-changing voice of God was not in these three spectacular events. The voice of God that moved Elijah to humble worship, careful attention, and great energy was in what the King James version calls the “still, small voice.” In that still, small voice God gave Elijah specific instructions about his part in God’s work of redemption that would break the influence of Ahab, Jezebel, and the pagan prophets that ate at their table. God further gave Elijah two words of encouragement. First, God would preserve 7,000 of his children who would never bend their knee to Baal. Second, Elijah should anoint Elisha as his successor, which indicated that Elijah’s eternal rest was at hand. From this quiet and very private event God taught Elijah, and hopefully us, that while the spectacular and public events accomplish a purpose, his greatest work is done in the still, small voice one hears while alone with God. Ultimately, the mighty work of God was not done on Mount Carmel, but on Mount Horeb.
Looking for the substantive in the spectacular is part of our fallen human nature and one of Satan’s favorite tools. Satan tempted Jesus with the same thing in Matthew 4. Again, this is a story we know from our Sunday School days. The second of Satan’s three temptations was that Jesus should throw himself off the pinnacle of the temple and when he was rescued by the angels, which he surely would be, he would ride that spectacular event to popularity and success. Jesus, of course, rejected this plan. We need to compare Satan’s method of notoriety to Jesus’ more effective methods. In Matthew 8 we have the story of Jesus’ cleansing of a leper. Jesus told the man that he should say nothing to anyone, but simply go to the temple and make the sacrifice commanded in the Scripture.
One of the reasons this type of thing is so appealing in our day is that it is a short cut to our temporal goals, which generally center around active congregations. Jesus warned us to guard our hearts against this most subtle of traps.
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:1-6)
We don’t intend to be hypocrites, but because we so often focus on the public events, we often neglect the more private and substantive work of God in our private place. That is, by definition, hypocrisy.
The great spectacular events are wonderful, but they are too often the milk of the Word, even the milkshake of the Word. As wonderful as they are, they are too brief and too far apart to sustain a profound, substantive relationship with the Father. Paul’s criticism of the Corinthians was that they remained shallow and immature. The focus on the spectacular events of our faith often masks our own immaturity. We deceive ourselves by looking only to the public rather than the private. In ministry, the result is what we find in Jeremiah 6:14. Speaking of the prophets and priests, Jeremiah said, “‘They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.’ (Jeremiah 6:14)” What an indictment! Lord, may that never be said of me. May I always lead the congregation you have put under my care to a substantive relationship with you. Lord, “increase our faith. (Luke 17:5)”
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* See the story of Achan’s sin and the battle of Ai in Joshua 7, particularly verse 1. “But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the LORD burned against the people of Israel.”
† The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia says that a broom tree is “a shrub which casts so little shadow that it would be used for shade only when there was no other refuge from the desert sun, and would be eaten only in case of the direst necessity, but which could be burned and used for the making of charcoal.” In other words, Elijah was so far out in the wilderness that even the trees were sad.
