He’s Not Through With Me Yet

Couched away in the chilly waters of the San Francisco Bay is a small island that is notoriously known as Alcatraz. Alcatraz would host some of the most difficult prisoners in American. From 1934 to 1963, the Federal Bureau of Prisons noted that it was the “Prison’s System Prison”. If one broke the law, one goes to prison but if one breaks the rules while in Prison, that person would be sent to Alcatraz. Alcatraz was the residence of the crime’s elite, but it was also the place where there was No Way Out. There were many lines of defense against the inmates who sought to escape, but the first line of defense would be the metal bars that would confine them to their cells. But as long as their have been metal bars, there have always been criminals intelligent enough to find a way through or around them. When the prison was first constructed, prisoners would be behind flat metal bars. But the flat surface would provide an easy platform by which an inmate could apply a hacksaw and ultimately saw his way to liberation. However, when the Prison became a Federal Penitentiary in 1934, it received an upgrade. The bars would undergo something called “heat treatment”. You see whenever metal is heated and quickly cooled, it shifts the internal composition of the bar, making it almost impossible to saw through. “Heat Treatment” shifts the internal composition of metal.
I found this to be quite interesting. Reminds me of the great OT prophet Elijah. He shows up for the first time in 1 Kings 17. At the time, King Ahab was a very wicked man. Elijah had the nerve to go to the king and tell him that it would not rain on the land except by his word. Could you imagine how much courage that one feat would have taken. Also, Ahab had a wife named Jezebel. They worship the god Baal. When Elijah makes this statement, he is proclaiming his God to be bigger than their God. After this God commands him to go a place called “Cherith”. The name literally means “cutting place”. It is there at the “cutting place” that God provides for him in the drought. It would appear that this is ok. God brought him there to protect and to develop him. So now that was over. At that place, God actually dried the waters. In other words, God cuts off the place where Elijah was depending.
Next are some very cryptic words, “Arise, go to Zarephath”. He has just left the “cutting place” and God now commands him to go to Zarephath. Zarephath actually means “metal refinery” or the word for “smelting”. So hold on, let’s get this straight. God was developing him at Cherith. After he leaves the “cutting place”, God then turns around and tells him to go to the “metal refinery”? I would have thought the “cutting place” would have been enough. As a matter of fact, we all think that the “cutting place” is enough. We don’t really like development, but we will deal with it, but what happens when God calls for Advanced Training? God is simply telling him that there was more development that needs to take place. How do you weather that? How do you deal with the fact that God is calling you to further development, when perhaps you think you are ready? How do you deal with the fact that God seems to be prolonging your destiny? I think we all have been there. I can admit that I have been there.
So what do you do? I don’t think there is any special formula. I think you simply go through the process and trust it. However, I do think there is something that could speak to us in these times. You see this is 1 Kings 17 when this development is taking place. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah would have to face prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. Both parties would be forced to call upon their God to Rain down fire from heaven. Elijah wins this moment, and then slaughters the prophets. I couldn’t help but to wander. Would Elijah have been prepared for this very critical moment had it not been for that development that he underwent in 1 Kings 17. Maybe this is the reason God does these things sometimes. God would rather have you in advanced training at Zarephath a little longer, to shift the internal composition of you, so that you are able to stand on the Mountain. Listen, the “metal refinery” is used for that reason. God wants you to be victorious. He wants you to be successful. But you will never be able to stand on the mountain if you forfeit this moment of development.
It’s actually that time of year again. My brother and I wait for it. I know you are wondering what exactly it is. But it is: NBA 2K18!! I can’t wait for the day that it drops. I remember when I first started playing NBA 2k17. There is a game mode called “My Career”. In this mode, you create a player and take him through a story line of being an NBA Superstar. In the games you are able to play solely as that player. But there is something very interesting. Whenever I would play offense,I would be fine. I was always trying to get a basket or maybe an assist. Defense was a bit harder. You see I was always trying to “cherry pick” so that I could get an easy basket. “Cherry Picking” is when you barely place defense and stay back so that you can simply lay the ball up if there is turnover or missed short. However, in the game mode, you are judged by something called a Teamate Grade. It helps judge how you are playing with your teamate. I noticed that everytime I tried to cheat on defense, my grade would suffer. I couldn’t understand why until, I looked at why my grade suffering. NBA 2k17 was penalizing my teamate grade for “leaving my assignment”. A video game had enough sense to know the issue of leaving an assigment too early?! How much more does this apply to our lives? Whatever you do, DO NOT leave this moment of development too early. You will be penalized much more than you want…
Don’t Forfeit this Moment, the Mountain is at Stake…
