аЯрЁБс>ўџ CEўџџџBџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџьЅСq` №Пш/bjbjqPqP .8::ш'џџџџџџЄКККККККЮV V V V b ЮHю‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ‚ ЧЩЩЩЩЩЩ$6hžbэК‚ ‚ эКК‚ ‚ UUUvК‚ К‚ ЧUЧUUћ`КК‚ v №cocШV wО[Ч0Hc,5КЃ$‚  " rU” \№ ‚ ‚ ‚ ээK ‚ ‚ ‚ HЮЮЮDDЮЮЮЮЮЮККККККџџџџ 27th January 2007 Prepare to Fail? 1 Kings 17 Right by the road in front of our house we’ve a small patch of land, about 30 feet by 3 feet. In this patch every year we plant brightly coloured annuals. But we’ve found over the last couple of years that plants have died and the blooms are fewer. So last November I decided to take the bull by the horns and dig over the whole patch. In fact I decided to double-dig it – going down 2 spades’ depth, adding manure and turning all the soil over. I soon discovered 2 interesting things. Firstly the top 9 inches of soil have become very compacted. Secondly, below that, the soil was just about undiggable. There was a layer of solid clay which I could only penetrate by putting my whole weight on my garden fork. Double-digging this tiny patch took 20 hours. But now the soil is perfectly prepared for planting. It’s piled high and full of richness. We’re expecting great things when spring and summer arrive. Our visual aid today is this plough which of course makes the farmer’s preparation job so much easier. It helps when it’s pulled by a massive tractor with four 6-foot-high rear wheels. Some of the fields round our house have been ploughed in the last couple of weeks and it’s staggering to see the power the ploughs exert. So, even in this wet weather, the earth is being prepared. Elijah didn’t realise it at the time but we see in this passage before us that he was being prepared by God. Here he was, a rugged man, a brave man, a prophet who was bold enough to stand up to Jezebel, one of the nastiest and most vindictive women who ever lived; and her weak husband, Ahab. He was the worst king Israel had ever had. And they’d really had some bad ones. One day Elijah turned up at the royal court and told Ahab, “There’ll be a drought in Israel and it won’t be broken until I say so.” Not surprisingly, after that announcement, he had to run for his life. And Elijah was in hiding for 3 years while God prepared him. In those years he experienced 3 life-changing events, each involving a miracle. The 1st prepared him physically, the 2nd mentally and the 3rd spiritually. First, physically. The Lord told him to go to a stream called Kerith, miles from anywhere. There was nothing there and he needed food. Ravens are the most selfish of birds. What food they find they either eat or hide. And if their hiding place is discovered they never use it again. But Elijah was fed by the generosity of the ravens. They gave him bread and meat twice a day – a perfectly balanced diet, carbohydrate and protein, washed down with water from the stream. A man fed by generous ravens – now that’s a miracle. But he must have wondered, “What am I doing here?” One problem he surely faced was monotony. The ravens came so regularly that their visits must have become matter-of-fact. The miraculous almost seemed mundane. He had to learn patience. He had to learn to be content with what he had. For us, too, life can sometimes seem boring, dreary. But it can’t be more boring than what Elijah suffered. In the dark days of Communist Russia many Christians were locked away in solitary confinement. But when they got out their faces shone. Everyone agreed they’d been specially touched by God. They’d used those long hours to good effect. Another problem for Elijah must have been loneliness. No-one to speak to, no papers, no telly. In our day loneliness is a particular problem for the elderly; but it can also be for all of us. There’s an element in that, as Christians, we can be excluded from the crowd. That may cause us to feel lonely. Elijah had to learn to be alone. One old saint said this: ”Religion is what a man does with his solitariness”. Insecurity must have been yet another problem. The drought was biting. The water in the stream was failing. Elijah couldn’t live without water. So even the meagre resources he had were, literally, drying up. All of us in Bures own far more than Elijah ever had but how insecure we sometimes feel about the future. Elijah had to learn to trust God. Then God came to him again and said, “Now I want you to move on. I want you to go 75 miles west to the Mediterranean coast. Then I shall look after you in a different way.” He was told to go to a place called Zarephath where he would be prepared mentally. Zarephath appropriately means “crucible” or “refining”. This was the place where Elijah’s faith was going to be further refined. He was going to have a different diet. This time flour and oil. He was going to have human fellowship after being alone for so long. He was going to live in a proper home. In the desert he was being prepared physically but this time he was going to be prepared mentally. This time he wouldn’t be fed by ravens but by a woman. And what a wonderful woman . Just outside the gate of Zarephath, there she was. A widow – no pensions in those days. She had a son but he was too young to work. Skinny as a rake, she was starving to death because of the famine. With her last ounce of energy she was picking up sticks for a fire to make a final meal before she and her son died. All she had was a small jar of flour and some oil in a jug. And here comes Elijah, ragged and worn out by his 75 mile journey. “Could you bring me some water?” he asks. And, even though she’s exhausted, she goes off to get some. She puts this man of God before herself and her family. “Got any bread?” he enquires. Then she tells him her situation. “Don’t worry,” he replied. “Make me a little cake. Then make some for yourself and your son, because my God, the God of Israel, won’t let you run out of flour or oil until he sends rain to the Earth”. And, sure enough, each day when she reached into the jar and the jug there was enough for the three of them. There’s an interesting Biblical truth here. By the stream, every day there was enough bread and meat. At Zarephath, every day there was enough flour and oil. It’s a mistake to think that we can get enough on Sunday to last us a week. God deals with us daily. “Give us this day our daily bread”. But what of Elijah? How did he feel as he spent these months with the widow and her son? It was a mental struggle. There were 5 unpalatable things he had to swallow. He had to swallow charity. He had to sponge off a widow. He, a man, had to be dependent on a woman – very demeaning in those days He lived with a widow. Imagine the gossip among the neighbours. He, a Jew, was dependent on a Gentile. A thing of shame for a Jew. The woman’s house was in Sidon which was the very centre of Baal worship. All these 5 things would deal with Elijah’s pride. I’m sure it’s not what he would have chosen – to go to a starving Sidonian woman and beg for food. Not unnaturally, begging has always been seen as good for humbling the soul. As part of their training monks used to be made to go out on the streets and beg. Until recently missionary societies used to give a couple of pounds to each prospective volunteer and tell them to live off that in a town for three days. I think “health and safety” put an end to that! A few years ago I heard a talk from a missionary lady and she mentioned that her prayer was that she would suffer more for the gospel. I thought then that I could never pray that for myself. However God can use us more if we’ve been humbled through suffering. Elijah was being prepared. It was a painful business. But worse was to come. Disaster struck. And here Elijah is tested spiritually. The widow’s son became ill and then died. Now, the woman who’d been so kind to Elijah, completely lost it. She went off the deep end. “You’re the cause of my son’s death. What have you got against me?” For Elijah this was his lowest point. After all these other debilitating experiences death had come to this house and he was blamed for it. Had God finally deserted him? What a heavy heart he must have had. He did the only thing he knew. He cried out to God. Then he carried the boy’s limp body upstairs and prayed. Breath came into the boy again and Elijah brought him downstairs, alive. Imagine the rejoicing! So in this chapter we’ve seen 3 miracles which have all been for Elijah’s training, for his preparation. The ravens, the constant supply of food and raising the boy from the dead. How his faith must have been strengthened. But what is Elijah being prepared for? If we take a sneaky look at the next chapter we’ll soon see. Only a humble man prepared by God for 3 years could do what he did at Mount Carmel. By his actions there, in one day, he brought the whole Jewish nation back to the Living God. But all this happened 3,000 years ago. What possible relevance can this story have for us today? Elijah faced a great challenge. But so do we in our day. His people, the people God had rescued, were falling away and worshipping their own gods – doing their own thing. Does that ring any bells with us? Our challenge in Bures is to show the love of Christ to those around us. William Temple, a great archbishop between the two World Wars, said this, “The church is the only society on Earth that exists for the benefit of non-members”. Tonight, at St. Andrew’s, Great Cornard, Sue Ryman and Sylvia Gaspar are going to be licensed as Elders. This is how an Elder’s work is described: “Elders are the human face of the local church. They are willing to be known in their community as Christians, and to show their faith in words and actions”. Before any great work, any challenge, there must be preparation. The plough is an illustration of this. The fields must be prepared by the plough before the seed is sown and harvest gathered. My front patch of garden has been prepared by back-breaking digging! Sue and Sylvia have been on a course to prepare them for their new roles as Elders. And we’ve seen how Elijah was prepared by God for the confrontation at Mount Carmel. All over the World athletes are preparing hard for the Olympics this August in Beijing. 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