by leaps and bounds

So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him,” But the people answered him not a word(I Kings 18:20-21).

The Bible scene here was actually a showdown between the prophets of Baal- a false god- and God Himself. Elijah confronted God’s people regarding who they were going to believe and who they were going to serve. The people said nothing- basically they were between the altar and the door. In other words, they were caught between repenting and believing in God or walking away in disbelief.

God wants no one halted between two opinions. There is no fence to straddle. He wants us to choose.

You see, we can be caught in the middle also.

We are caught between deep water faith and the shallow end. We want to believe to a point, but we don’t want to go too far. Deep water faith is faith in what we cannot see. Deep water faith is faith in God who can call all things into existence. The following verse speaks of the very essence of faith:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen(Hebrews 11:1).

We are caught between the God we want and the God who is. The God we want is sometimes the grandfather type- giving us what we want, but not allowing anything bad to happen in our lives. God is indeed a God of love but He is so much more. This is what makes Him so awesome.

He is a jealous God according to Exodus 34:14- “For thou shalt worship no other god; for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”

He is the God of battles according to II Chronicles 20:15- “He said, Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.”

He is the God who teaches us to war against the enemy of our souls according to Psalm 144:1- “Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.”

He is the God who is with us to the end according to Matthew 28:20- “… And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

We are caught between our desires and His dreams for us. God has a dream and a plan for each of us. Philippians 1:6 says, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” He wants to finish what He starts in us because he wants our end to be great. Think of the words of Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

We must get out of the middle when it comes to our faith in God and our Christian walk. Hear the words of Elijah: “If the Lord is God, follow Him.” Let us hear those words and choose to obey them.

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Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.

Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children  — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter  — Breanna. 

Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.