Not a Word

And Elijah came to all the people, and said, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people answered him not a word. 1 Kings 18:21

The ‘Message’ version says it this way: Elijah challenged the people: “How long are you going to sit on the fence? If God is the real God, follow him; if it’s Baal, follow him. Make up your minds!” Nobody said a word; nobody made a move.

Decisions and choices. We face them every day and usually we deal with them quickly and without a fuss. In fact, other people will never know most of the decisions you make, and rightly so. They are a part of everyday life.

It is possible to be torn between two good things, and the outcome can only be a good one, but you waver over which is BEST. I would that we had more decisions to make like that, but the choices we wrestle with most, are the tough ones. Those which affect ourselves, others, or institutions we love. As a rule, the longer we waver over something, the bigger the consequences we will face, if not immediately, then further down the road.

Elijah put the question right where it belonged. A choice between good and evil, God or the devil, and when our decisions are placed in that context, we are more likely to make the right choice. I say mostly, because the verse tells us that when the people of God were faced with the question they fell silent. When faced with hard decisions in our faith walk, and church life, do we weigh it up quickly and say like Samuel, “Here am I Lord“, or do we go quiet, look around, and shuffle our feet?

So it all comes down to choosing between two real people. God or the devil (Baal). If we don’t choose God, then we are really voting for the devil. There is no middle ground, and that is a scary concept. Do you accept that idea, or do you think there is a third way?

The following extract is taken directly from the writings of Dr Charles Stanley. I think it helps us focus on the real choice we all face:

“We must make the Lord our priority everyday. We must start our day with Him, praying about our schedules, asking for His guidance, reading His word for instruction, and worshipping Him with grateful hearts. We must learn to practice these things every day. If we put these actions into practice, then we will find ourselves following God, without faltering. God knows our hearts and He wants us to want Him more than anything else. He wants us to stop choosing the what in our lives and start choosing the Who, Jesus Christ. Start your day with the Lord and ask Him to guide you. Beware of choosing to serve the false gods of this world. The Lord will help you if you just ask Him.”