Somebody Needs to Do Something!

Have you heard of the old Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times”? Guess what? It’s not Chinese. It first shows up in the 1930s, credited to a British diplomat, and it may be a loose misreading of a Chinese proverb: “Better to be a dog in times of peace than a man in times of chaos.” Wherever the phrase came from, we can all relate to its meaning. Life in America today is undoubtedly “interesting.”

In our post-pandemic world, our money is worth less, and our income strains to keep up with our expenses. Relationships with other countries are tense. Fuel is expensive (again). And our culture seems determined to sprint away from values we once took for granted.

With all that tension and uncertainty, it’s natural to cry out for some sort of savior. “Somebody needs to do something!” We look to elections, trade agreements, and an end to hostilities in the Middle East as the solution to our discomfort. In our darker moments, we may even wish for the downfall of the people we’ve labeled as enemies. After a week like this one, we’ll walk into church on Sunday and meet King Ahaziah. He has fallen through the lattice of his upper room and lies sick in bed. His solution? Send messengers to ask Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether he will recover.

Before his messengers get there, they run into Elijah. He gives them the bad news: Go tell your king he will never come down from that bed.

So the king sends a captain and fifty soldiers to bring Elijah in. Their order to the prophet? “Come down.” But instead of the man of God coming down, fire comes down from heaven. And the king sends another fifty.

In our weaker moments, don’t we want that too? If only fire would come down from heaven and fix our problems! We might even think it’s our job to bring the fire, to put evil on blast for the sake of our culture and our King.

But how does someone who speaks for God actually live in interesting times? Join us this Sunday to find out!