No Looking Back

Steadfast faith in Jesus will bring peace and healing to your life. Follow Him and fix your eyes on what is ahead.

“Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done…Elijah was afraid and ran for his life…‘I have had enough, Lord,’ he said. ‘Take my life’…The angel of the Lord came…‘Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you’…Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days…The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains…but the Lord was not in the wind…there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face…The Lord said to him, ‘Go’…So Elijah went from there and found Elisha…He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen…Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. Elisha…took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment…Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.” 1 Kings 19:1-21

A dozen sermons could come out of this one passage. Elijah had just seen God move in a mighty way, only to then allow himself to be scared by an evil queen. Reading the story, it makes no sense, but life is not lived on pages looking back. Part of the human experience is learning to navigate our emotions and hold captive the thoughts that create fear by learning to guard our hearts and fix our eyes on what is ahead.

Do not miss the compassion of God. He is not angry at Elijah for how he feels. He feeds him twice to strengthen him for the journey. God asks questions and listens. He personally appears and, with a whisper, overwhelms Elijah. Can you hear God’s voice? It can be hard to hear the whisper of truth, wisdom, peace, or love from God with all the noise around us. Perhaps today is a day to be quiet and still your mind so you can hear the whisper.

God answers Elijah’s prayer to pass the torch to another person. It might not seem like much, but Elisha’s approach to following Elijah has the power to change us. Elisha was clearly wealthy and had many oxen and abundant resources, but the decision he made showed everything we need to know about his heart.

He burns the plowing equipment. He torches his safety net. He goes all in. By burning the equipment, he commits fully to the path ahead. There is no looking back. This is very different from the way many of us follow Jesus. We live in a world that likes to hedge our bets and live with one foot in and one foot out. But the problem with that is we end up stuck in reverse. We were made to be people empowered by the Spirit who live in the kingdom of God. Jesus is the pearl of great price, but are we sold out for Him? Are we all in?

“In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises. His mouth is full of lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue. His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength. But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed.” Psalms 10:2-18

Following Jesus can end up leaving you with more questions than answers. Living in a world where wickedness is not uncommon and evil is evident, we can wonder when things are going to get fixed. There are people who simply do not care about other people or about what God thinks. The enemy wants you to see suffering or injustice and question the character of God who allows it to exist. Do you ever question what you see?

David stands on the truth of what he has seen. He declared that God is faithful and close to the fatherless. God actively works to bring healing to the broken, encourage the afflicted, and defend the vulnerable. Just because evil exists does not mean that God is not actively moving. Notice how David said God cares for the victims who commit themselves to Him. He is looking for devoted hearts who turn to Him during desperate times.

Rather than questioning God, David chose to do what he could to help. Who in your life is going through a hard time? Who could you help today?

“Listen…pay attention and gain understanding…Take hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands, and you will live. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Cherish her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. She will give you a garland to grace your head and present you with a glorious crown. Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers. The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.” Proverbs 4:1-26

Solomon saw how receiving the gift of wisdom from God changed everything about his life, so he sought to pass it on to those who would listen. His encouragement was to fully commit to pursuing wisdom. He was not saying to get more information. We live in a world with an abundance of information. He was saying to listen, be attentive, and learn God’s ways.

See the connection between Elisha burning his equipment and Solomon’s call to commit fully to pursuing wisdom. Solomon said to be careful about how evil can infect. Do not even take a step with evil. You might not think there is any harm in what you watch, what you listen to, or the way you talk, but wisdom tells us that all of those things can impact our hearts.

Solomon said, above all else, guard your heart, for it is your command center. It is where decisions are made. Solomon said to watch how you talk and watch the way you walk. Why? Because what you say comes from your heart. Where you go and who you surround yourself with will influence you. Wisdom says to fix your eyes on Jesus and be steadfast in how you follow Him.

Are you? Where have you allowed things not from God to get into your heart? What do your words say about what is in your heart? Are you steadfast and fully committed to serving Jesus and others? Or have you been lax in your commitment?

“Your lips have spoken falsely, and your tongue mutters wicked things. The way of peace they do not know; They have turned them into crooked roads; no one who walks along them will know peace…our sins testify against us…our iniquities: rebellion and…turning our backs on our God, justice is driven back…so his own arm achieved salvation for him…From the west, people will fear the name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun they will revere his glory. The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins…‘this is my covenant with them,’ says the Lord. ‘My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you.’” Isaiah 59:3-21

The God who made you knows your imperfections. He knows where you fall short and when you will turn your back on Him. Rather than declaring us dead to Him, He has mercy on us. He makes a way. His own arm offers salvation.

He said people from all over the world will fear His name, and like Proverbs said of the righteous, the rising sun will light the way as we follow the Son. God said His covenant is the gift of the Holy Spirit. Solomon said to write His words on your heart. God does it. Rather than allowing our sin to separate us, God gives His Spirit to those who repent and return.

“The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. Jesus went with them. He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: ‘Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof…say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, “Go,” and he goes; and that one, “Come,” and he comes. I say to my servant, “Do this,” and he does it’…‘I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.’ Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well…God has come to help his people…A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume…‘Simon, I have something to tell you.’ ‘Tell me, teacher,’ he said. ‘Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?’ Simon replied, ‘I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.’ ‘You have judged correctly,’ Jesus said. Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little’…Jesus said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’” Luke 7:3-50

Faith changes the direction of our lives, and committing our lives to Christ is the most important decision we can make. Elisha burned what could have held him back. David trusted God in the middle of seeing evil. Solomon said to guard our hearts and fix our eyes ahead. Isaiah promised a Redeemer who would come to save and give us His Spirit. Every passage points us toward the same invitation: trust God with your whole heart, turn to Him, and steadfastly follow where He leads.

Jesus shows us faith in action. The centurion believed and received. The woman offered what was precious to her, pouring out her alabaster jar, most likely her greatest treasure, for Jesus. Jesus saw their faith. Neither of them earned what they received, but through faith in a faithful God, they found healing.

Wherever you are today, fix your eyes on Jesus. Listen for the whisper of His voice, carefully guard your heart, and let go of whatever holds you back. We do not know all that lies ahead, only that the path of the righteous gets ever brighter. By faith and with a heart that appreciates how much you have been forgiven, follow Him and keep your eyes on what is ahead.