May We Be A Channel of the LORD’S Peace
As I sat in darkness, with only a small lamp shining in the darkness, and as I listened to the music playing into my ears through my earbuds—still the thunder of the rain pouring down outside the house filled my mind with the Old Testament biblical story of Elijah and his contest with the 450 prophets of Baal.
As I recalled the contest and remembered how it was a “winner take all” type of showdown. Elijah, the prophet of God vs. the prophets of Baal. That day, EVERYONE was there, “all Israel at Mount Carmel.” (The 1st Book of the Kings 18: 19a NASB)
That day, at the end of the contest, there was no doubt who was the one True God. Today, as the rain poured down outside, rain that could be heard above the music, I found myself dwelling on the WHY.
- WHY did the prophets of the foreign gods of Baal think they could win the contest?
- WHY did the LORD lead His prophet Elijah to engage in this fight?
- WHY did the CREATOR of heaven, of earth, of water, and of fire reveal Himself in this way?
To answer these questions, we must turn to the New Testament, to what James reminds us, and to what James says we must do when trials come our way, trials such as Elijah faced.
“Elijah was a man with a nature like ours,
(The Letter of James 5: 17-20 NASB)
and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain,
and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.
Then he prayed again,
and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.
My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back,
let him know that
he who turns a sinner from the error of his way
will save his soul from death
and will cover a multitude of sins.”
There is an old hymn that maybe you know, one that contains these lyrics—
“Make me a channel of Your peace
Where there is hatred, let me bring Your Love.
Where there is injury, Your healing power
And where there’s doubt, true faith in You.” (“Make Me A Channel of Your Peace”)
Peace is not just the absence of conflict, for the shalom, the peace of God seeks another’s inner well-being. May we pray for our enemies. May we pray for those who frustrate us, for those who cause us grief. May we pray that God will give them PEACE and not ask God to cause them to hurt.
The old hymn continues—
“Make me a channel of Your peace.
Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope,
Where there is darkness, only light
And where there’s sadness, ever joy.” (“Make Me A Channel of Your Peace”)
Gentleness displayed in a world where people are complicated and easily misunderstood can be challenging. Nevertheless, we are called to be the PEACEMAKERS, to be gentle and to be humble, reflecting the character of our Savior Jesus Christ.
“O Spirit, grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand
To be loved as to LOVE with all my soul.
Make me a channel of Your peace
It is a pardoning that we are pardoned,
In giving to all that we receive
And in dying that we’re born to eternal life.” (“Make Me A Channel of Your Peace”)
Without hypocrisy, this is who we are called to be.
- May we be willing to be disagreed with, and may we be willing to disagree with the world.
- May we be open and be living among the crowd but not easily persuaded to go with the crowd.
- May we be willing to listen to the talk of others but unwilling to give up in WHOM we believe.
Let us TRUST the PERSON of JESUS.
- Let us CARE about each person we meet.
- Let us build RELATIONSHIPS with those who the LORD leads us to.
Let us PRAY as Elijah, knowing with FULL ASSURANCE—THE LORD WILL ANSWER!
So, WHY did the prophets of the foreign gods of Baal think they could win the contest against Holy God? &. WHY did the LORD lead His prophet Elijah to engage in this fight that day on Mount Carmel? & finally, WHY did the CREATOR of heaven, of earth, of water, and of fire reveal Himself in this way to all the 450 prophets of Baal and to the 400 prophets of Asherah who stood watching this “winner take all” contest?
IT WAS SO THE PEOPLE WOULD KNOW GOD! &
IT WAS SO THE PEOPLE WOULD RETURN THEIR HEARTS TO THE LORD!
“The water flowed around the altar and he also filled the trench with water.
(The 1st Book of the Kings 18: 35-39 NASB)
At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice,
Elijah the prophet came near and said,
“O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel,
today let it be known that You are God in Israel
and that I am Your servant
and 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 heart back again.
Then the fire of the LORD fell
and consumed the burnt offering
and the wood
and the stones
and the dust,
and licked up the water that was in the trench.
When all the people saw it,
they fell on their faces; and they said,
“The LORD, He is God; the LORD, He is God.”
- May we DO all the LORD commands us to DO.
- May we LIVE as the bondservants of CHRIST.
- May we PRAY with full assurance, knowing the LORD always hears and always answers.
- May we be GENTLE and without HYPOCRISY and PEACEMAKERS to EVERYONE.
- May we TRUST the PERSON of JESUS.
May We Be A Channel of the LORD’S Peace.