Two things that I know we need to be cautious about doing are pulling verses out of context and being overconfident in our ability to interpret prophetic statements.

I’ve always been a little suspicious of those who, with great confidence, provide a detailed description of how prophecy will be worked on on the world stage. So, I’m not one to connect any particular prophecy with any particular event.

As we learn in the gospels, inspired writers have applied Old Testament Scripture in ways that were surprising. So, we need care before expressing any certainty about interpretation unless corroborated by New Testament Scripture.

But there are statements in the prophets that seem to have universal application from which we can derive great encouragement.

One such passage I read this morning:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways.” This is the Lord’s declaration. “For as heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return there without saturating the earth and making it germinate and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, so my word that comes from my mouth will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do.”

Isaiah 55:8–11 (CSB)

In my previous post, I lamented the behavior of those who abuse the sheep rather than care for them. But with this passage, I am reminded that none of this has escaped the notice of Almighty God. And since he is almighty, the behavior of mutton-eating shepherds cannot derail His plan.

God’s word will accomplish what He pleases, despite any effort to keep it from happening. I can’t accidentally derail God’s plan and no one can intentionally derail it either.

This is good news that can encourage us today when so much seems to be going wrong in the world.

Even a casual observer of church history should be able to notice that the church (speaking of the universal church, not a particular sect or denomination) has gone through ups and downs over the years. Those of us who feel that we are seeing the church in one of the down periods can become overwhelmed by what we see around us.

But we can be encouraged by history. For example, in spite of all the negative things that were happening in the organized church of the early 16th Century (and there were plenty of them), God brought about the reformation through Luther and the other reformers.

I have written about many of the frustrating things I’ve seen in churches over the last few years. But I am reminded that despite the misguided, or perhaps even evil, plans that leaders sometimes inflict upon their congregations, God still shows his ability to build the church.

I need to constantly remind myself that the Church is not an organization. The Church is not a building. The Church is made up of all of us who have been made alive in Christ Jesus, no matter how imperfectly we behave at any given moment.

I recently saw an article on the internet that claimed abandoned church buildings as evidence of the death of the church. Borrowing from Mark Twain, reports of the death of the church have been greatly exaggerated. As a one of my favorite teachers used to say, “the Church has always outlived her pallbearers.”

Keep in mind that Jesus is the one that proclaimed his authority to build the church and then backed it up by rising from the dead. He will build his church and the gates of hell will not prevail.

Bottom line is, don’t bet against the church, the true church made up of true believers. God will continue to call people into relationship with himself, no matter who is at the helm of the religious organizations that call themselves churches.

The point of this ramble is to say that when I take my eyes off the people that are damaging the organization that we call the church, I become open to see the work that God is doing around me in individuals that are seeking God.

God continues to be at work and we can be encouraged as we see his handiwork in spite of incompetence and antagonism.

We can indeed be encouraged.

1 Kings 19 records the time when the prophet Elijah hit rock bottom. It got so bad that Elijah hid in a cave, thinking he was the only worshipper of God left.

God confronted Elijah and suggested he go out to “stand on the mountain in the LORD’s presence.”

The author of 1 Kings records what happened next:

At that moment, the Lord passed by. A great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

1 Kings 19:11–13 (CSB)

I find this instructive because I have spent so much time in churches where we sought to recreate the wind, earthquake, and fire rather than listen for the whisper. We want pizzazz in our worship. We want lights and guitar solos and whatever else we can get to make Sunday seem special. We work hard to make the music bold and the preaching catchy and polished. We want to have a huge experience of God on a Sunday morning.

Maybe God is telling us through Elijah’s experience that we are looking for the wrong things and not putting ourselves in the proper position to hear from God.

Instead of following the latest church growth fad, perhaps we declare a day of fast for our local church while asking God what he wants us to do.

Maybe we should unplug the guitars and video screens and have a quieter worship experience. Maybe we should read Scripture in our Sunday service and do more listening than speaking. Maybe we should collectively search the Scriptures for the answers to the problems around us.

Maybe we are being called to ditch the big buildings and big budgets to focus on being obedient to the call of God.

Admittedly, I don’t have answers to what the church in 2021 should look like. I don’t know what any particular congregation should do in response to their situation. But I think that much of what passes for evangelical practice is not having the desired effect. We seem to be making theological consumers rather than disciples.

Perhaps we are not listening for that whisper that God used to reveal himself to Elijah. It was in the whisper, not the louder, more noticeable events that Elijah heard the voice of God. Maybe we’re impressed by the wrong things.

Let’s be open to hearing that whisper so that we, individually and collectively, can hear the voice of God to be sure that we are following his lead and not blazing our own trail.