City Life Starter

Written by Paul Lane

The Word

So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

2 Kings 6:16-17 (NASB)

“God begets Christ, but he only makes men.”

“As you advance to more real and complicated levels, you do not leave behind the things you found on the simpler levels.  You still have them but combined in new ways, in ways you could not imagine if you only knew the simpler levels.”

C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity Book 4, Ch 1&2

Exegesis

I have always loved this verse about Elisha.  It reminds me that we are living in a foreign land that is not far from our home.  So, when I feel overwhelmed or truly challenged, I can know that there is reason to push through.

I know that people struggle with the idea of a single God with three different personalities.  It sounds like chaos. But so many religions have no problem with the idea of multiple gods. The problem with those religions usually is that those gods rarely ever agree with each other. Imagine a religion with multiple gods, having different responsibilities. Now imagine that they all agreed.

I also think this is a great time to read the first two chapters of Genesis. In Chapter 1 you get to watch God do all of this making, and it is so grand and so bold. Read it slowly and hear the music of the creation. “Let there be…” God says, “let there be.” And it was! He makes and he places. Read it slowly, watch the master work, listen to the music of it all.

When you get to verse 26, slow down and notice the music change. God says, “let Us….”  He is no longer making things, but rather a thing, a someone. It is during this change in the music that God chooses to unveil the community in His own being. It is true that man is made and not begotten, but there is something about this making that is different than the rest of the made stuff.  Man is able, indeed made, to be in community with a being of higher dimensions, and that community stands as assurance of much greater things.

Application

Read the Bible as if it is your home country, for there is a great cloud of witnesses cheering you on.  And the fiery chariots are much closer than you think.

Prayer

Dear Lord, teach me to kneel in your presence and to be content there always.

Amen