Guest Speaker Reflection

Elijah in the desert of horeb by william brassey hole

It's common to fixate on the spectacular moments in the Bible and think that, if we're good Christians, that's what we should expect. Moses at the fiery bush and dividing the sea. Elijah calling down fire and later ascending a flying chariot. We elevate the amazing and the successful, and lose heart when being good is such a grind. But we need to look closer. Just as Moses learned not to try to repeat a miracle, Elijah learned that "the Lord was not in the fire," but in the whisper (1 Kings 19). Yes, God can and does do incredible, unexpected things, but God's regular mode of operation is to patiently work through normal people faithfully doing mundane things – and that's what connects us to the people of the Bible (according to Hebrews 11:39-40). 

Dr. Jon Coutts