I KINGS 19:1-16

19:1  Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.

2  Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow."

3  Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah; he left his servant there.

4  But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: "It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors."

5  Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, "Get up and eat."

6  He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again.

7  The angel of the LORD came a second time, touched him, and said, "Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you."

8  He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God.

9  At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

10  He answered, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away."

11  He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake;

12  and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.

13  When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

14  He answered, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away."

15  Then the LORD said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram.

16  Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place.

Some people swear by them while others wouldn’t go to see one even if their life depended on it.  How about you? Have you ever been to a chiropractor for an adjustment?   I will admit that all the popping and cracking sounds can be a little unnerving.  Of course conventional doctors have also been known to use some unorthodox techniques from time to time.  A receptionist in a doctor’s office saw that one day when she heard a loud scream and then watched as an 80 year old woman can running out of one of the examining rooms. The elderly woman didn’t stop running until she got to her car and went screeching out of the parking lot.  When the doctor walked into the waiting room the receptionist asked him what happened.  “Oh,” the doctor said, “I told her she was pregnant.”  The receptionist couldn’t believe it.  “Are you serious?” she said. “That 80 year old woman is going to have a baby?”  The doctor smiled.  “No,” he said, “but I did cure her hiccups.”

Maybe chiropractors aren’t all that weird after all.  Besides you could make an argument that God is a chiropractor;  a spiritual chiropractor if you will.  Instead of adjusting your joints and your spine though God specializes in attitude adjustments.  After all just look at Elijah and what happened to him on Mount Sinai. God gave him an attitude adjustment and to tell you the truth Elijah needed to have his attitude adjusted.  How about you? Do you know anyone who needs an attitude adjustment?  How about yourself?  Do you need an attitude adjustment?  God specializes in attitude adjustments.

Let’s start with Elijah though.  In order to understand what’s going on here you have to hit the rewind button and back the story up a bit.  It all started when Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest on Mount Carmel.  Elijah challenged them so they could prove once and for all to the Israelites which god was the one true God.  When Elijah defeated the prophets of Ball in the contest the people realize that the prophets of Baal are a bunch of frauds.  So, the rise up and put them to death.  When Jezebel hears what has happened she gets angry.  That’s because the prophets of Baal were loyal to her.  So, she sends a message to Elijah that basically says, “Elijah before the day is over you’re going to be a dead man.”  So, what does Elijah do when he hears that?  He does what any sane sensible person would do.  He runs for his life and he keeps on running until he finds himself out in the middle of the desert.

Now it should come as no surprise that Elijah is feeling sorry for himself.  You can see it in the words that he speaks.  Elijah says, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors."  You also see it later on when Elijah says, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away."

Elijah is feeling sorry for himself which is entirely understandable.  That’s why God responds by providing Elijah with something to eat and drink while he’s out there in the desert but then Elijah does something strange.   Instead of heading back to civilization Elijah run the other way.  He keeps on running until he gets to Mount Sinai where he does his woe is me routine again.  Now this is where thing get really interesting.   While Elijah is standing there on Mount Sinai there’s a mighty wind.  Then there’s an earthquake and some fire and then there’s a still small voice. 

My guess is that the wind, earthquake and the fire were meant to get Elijah’s attention and maybe put a little fear and trembling into his heart. If you get the feeling that God isn’t all that pleased with Elijah you’re right.  You can see it in all those pyrotechnics and you can see it in the question that God asks Elijah while he’s standing there on the mountain.  Do you remember what God says to Elijah?  God says to him, “Elijah, what are you doing here?”

In asking that question God is basically saying, “Okay Elijah. Enough is enough.  Back there I gave you comfort but now the only thing your going to get is a kick in so the pants.   Stop feeling sorry for yourself because I’ve still got some work for you to do. So get back in there and fight the good fight.  Don’t let Jezebel have the last word here.”

“Elijah what are you doing here?” There’s your attitude adjustment.   The food and water that God sends to Elijah while he’s out there in the desert show you that God understands that it’s normal sometimes to feel sorry for yourself.  On the other hand, the earthquake, wind and fire though show you that God isn’t going to let you get stuck in an attitude that isn’t emotionally healthy or good for you.

God specializes in attitude adjustments.  You see it here and throughout the Scriptures.  Jonah’s attitude got adjusted when ended up in the belly of that great fish.  Paul’s attitude got adjusted on the Road to Damascus when he was blinded by that flash of light.  Zacchaeus got an attitude adjustment when Jesus told him to come down from that tree because he was going to stay at his house that day.

Jonah thought he was better than the people of Nineveh but he got an attitude adjustment. Paul hated Christians but he got an attitude adjustment.  Zaccheaus didn’t like himself very much but he also got an attitude adjustment.

Many years ago George Washington Carver gave an attitude adjustment to a taxi cab driver in Washington D.C. You may remember from your history books that George Washington Carver was an African American scientist who did extensive research on the common peanut.  Over the years he discovered that in addition to being a nutritional source of food, the peanut could also be used to make cosmetics, paint, plastic and gasoline.  One day Carver was in Washington D.C. to attend a conference.  When he went to get into a cab though the cab driver stopped him and said very bluntly, “I’m sorry but I don’t drive your kind.”  Carver just smiled and said, “That’s okay.  Just get in back then and I’ll drive.”

God specializes in attitude adjustments.  It doesn’t matter if you’re feeling sorry for yourself, or you’re a little too full of yourself or you’re angry or bitter.  God will always be there to give you an attitude adjustment.  That’s because God doesn’t want pity or prejudice or pride or anything else to keep you from experiencing life the way it was meant to be lived.  God doesn’t want a bad attitude to keep you from experience life in all of its goodness and glory. 

God wants you to experience life the way a man who worked in a toll booth experienced it.   The toll booth where the man worked was on the Oakland Bay Bridge.  The job was monotonous but everyday this man climbed into his toll booth to sing and dance while collecting thousands of quarters during the morning rush your.  One of those commuters wrote about a conversation he had with the man in the toll booth.

“‘What are you doing?’ I asked.”              

“‘I’m having a party,’ he said.”

“‘What about the rest of these people?’  I looked over at the other booths…‘They’re not invited,’ he said. I had a dozen other questions for him, but somebody in a big hurry to get somewhere started punching his horn behind me and I drove off.”

“But I made a note to myself:  Find this guy again.  There’s something in his eyes that says there’s magic in his toll booth.”

“Months later I did find him again, still with the loud music, still having a party.

Again I asked, ‘What are you doing?’”

“He said, ‘I remember you from the last time.  I’m still dancing.   I’m having the same party.’”

“I said, ‘What about the rest of the people…’

“He said, ‘Stop.  What do those look like to you?’  He pointed down the row of toll booths.”

“They look like…toll booths.”

“‘Noooooooo imagination,’ he said.”

“I said, ‘Okay, I give up.  What do they look like to you?’”

“’Vertical coffins,’ he said.”

“What are you talking about?”

“’I can prove it,’ he said.  ‘At 8:30 every morning, live people get in.  Then they die for eight hours. At 4:30, like Lazarus from the dead, they re-emerge and go home.  For eight hours, brain is on hold, dead on the job, going through the motions.’” 

“I was amazed.  This guy had developed a philosophy…about his job.  I couldn’t help asking the next question.  ‘Why is it different for you?  You’re having a good time.’ He looked at me.  ‘I knew you were going to ask that,’ he said.  ‘I’m going to be a dancer someday.’  He pointed to the administration building.  ‘My bosses are in there, and they’re paying for my training.’”  (A Second Helping Of Chicken Soup For The Soul pp.175-177)

God’s deepest desire is for you to experience and embrace life in all of it’s goodness and it’s glory.  So, God will always be there to give you an attitude adjustment when you need one and here’s the best news of all.  Your God and my God, our God is a chiropractor who makes house calls. Amen.

Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes

June 23, 2013