Limping Along

Anyone who knows me well will quickly confirm that what I’m about to tell you is not only true, but also an understatement. Here it is – I am clumsy. Not just generally, I am very specific in my clumsiness – I fall…a lot.

I started very early in life, so I’ve now gotten very good at it.

My first concussion was earned as my three-year-old self climbed to the top shelf of the kitchen cabinets to retrieve toothpicks needed to make toothpick people – yes, I’ve always been creative. My momma walked into the kitchen exclaiming “Sherri Renee, what are you doing?!!!” Startled, I did a backwards swan dive from the top shelf to the hard linoleum floor below.

Over the years, I have honed my craft – falling that is, not toothpick people. I have fallen downstairs, upstairs, walking out a door, walking in a door, through the floor of a closet to the muddy crawl space below (house under construction), in a train, exiting a bus, exiting a car, getting into a car, getting on a bus, off a ladder, off a porch, on an escalator, off a curb, in a pothole, on an uneven sidewalk, on a smooth sidewalk, in a parking lot, in front of people, by myself, out of bed, and in the shower (the last two also were rewarded with concussions).

This list only scratches the surface. One day I may write a book about the “trips” I have taken…and the people I took with me. I confess, my falls have not always been solo exercises.

My high school P.E. teacher told me she had never seen anyone fall as well as I did. I’m not sure that was meant as a compliment – but that’s how I took it. That comment was made during the gymnastic semester of my sophomore year. Imagine clumsy and fall-prone on the balance beam, pummel horse, parallel bars, and trampoline. It wasn’t pretty.

Through all those falls, amazingly I never broke any bones – a few sprains, fractures, three concussions, an innumerable number of bruises, and achy periods of limping, but no breaks.

So, when I read Elijah’s challenge to the rebellious, disobedient, and idolatrous Israelites, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions?” a flood of images flash past my mind’s eye. (1 Kings 18:21)

I get limping. I understand limping. I am intimately familiar with limping.

Merriam-Webster describes “limping” as walking with an uneven and slow gait, unsteady, unstable, faltering, and proceeding slowly with difficulty. These words used to describe “limping” round out the picture: shuffling, hobbling, stumbling, halting, wobbling, faltering, staggering, and wavering.

To understand the setting for Elijah’s dramatic challenge, you need to look at the previous chapter in 1 Kings. In Chapter 17, God sent Elijah to the King of Israel, wicked Ahab (husband of Jezebel) to proclaim that because of Israel’s sin, He (God) would withhold the rain until He saw fit to allow it to return (1 Kings 17:1).

 For three long, parched years no rain fell. Famine was severe in the land of Samaria – the capital of the ten tribes of Israel and home of King Ahab (1 King 18:1-2). Ahab blamed Elijah for the drought, calling him the “troubler of Israel.” In response, Elijah told Ahab that it was Israel’s rejection of God’s laws and worship of Baal that had brought on God’s judgment.

Then Elijah called Ahab and the 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah to a showdown between their false gods and the one true God on Mount Carmel.

Standing alone humanly speaking, Elijah faced the multitude of false prophets gathered on Mount Carmel. Then he turned to the Jewish spectators gathered to witness the divine showdown between the popular deities of the day (Baal and Asherah) and Jehovah God and he asked the question, “How long?”

“How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him.”

1 Kings 18:21

In this episode of his life and ministry, Elijah stood steadfast, undaunted, and fearless. He was God’s man, speaking God’s words, and trusting Jehovah God for whatever the outcome. Seriously, you’ve got to love this man of God. Elijah has always been one of my favorites.  

Not only did Elijah confront the false prophets, but he also faced off against God’s headstrong and wayward children. The Israelites had become unfaithful to God and His commands. Instead of wholeheartedly following Jehovah God, they had incorporated idol worship into their spiritual practices.

The result was worthless worship on all accounts. Wavering in their convictions. Unstable in their beliefs. Faltering in their commitments. Insecure in their trust. Limping along – shuffling between two opposing belief systems.

Thus, Elijah’s challenge. “How long? Make up your mind! Pick your god and follow him. Stop limping along! Stop stumbling back and forth between the two.”

If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.”

1 Kings 18:21

It’s much like the challenge that Joshua posed to Israel over 500 years prior, “Choose this day whom you will serve.” If you want to serve the LORD God, put away the false gods and idols of Egypt. If you want to serve the false gods, then do it. “But as for me (Joshua) and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:14-15

The message of both Joshua and Elijah to the Israelites was this, you cannot serve God and any other god. You must pick one.

Not only is attempting to serve God plus other gods ineffective and self-defeating; friend, it is wearying and exhausting. It will rob you of your strength, it will steal your vitality, and it will leave you spiritually depleted.

Elijah’s question is as valid today as it was on Mount Moriah – “How long will you limp along undecided as to which god you will give yourself completely? The god of this world? The many gods of pleasure that the world offers? The god of self? Or will you give yourself completely – no divided loyalties, no holding back, no reservations – fully committed to the only True and Everlasting LORD God?

In case you’re not familiar with the rest of Elijah’s story on Mount Carmel, I urge you to read the complete story in 1 Kings 18. Spoiler alert! God shows up in a great and mighty way with an indisputable statement of Who He IS – the Great I AM.

No more limping.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. …Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble. If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

Proverbs 3:5-8, 23-24 ESV