Not that Funny When It Happens to Me

And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” 1 Kings 18:27

Growing up in a pastor’s home, we practiced family devotions, when my dad would read a Bible passage, give some short lesson, and then pray. The whole thing lasted maybe 10 minutes, as my parents tried to impress upon us the importance of daily reading God’s word. I’d not say that the Bible is known for being funny, but I specifically remember today’s passage as the funniest part of the Bible I’d ever encountered.

In the story, the prophet Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest – Both Elijah and the prophets of Baal would call on their respective gods to send fire from heaven to consume their sacrifices. Whoever’s god answered with fire would be the winner. When Baal didn’t answer his prophet’s prayers, Elijah began to taunt them. Where is your god? The ESV translation suggests that Baal is out relieving himself, but the version my dad read from asked if Baal was out sitting on the pot. When he read that, I burst into laughter as if that was the funniest thing I’d ever heard. To a five-year-old kid, toilet humor is always funny.

Later in life though, when calling on God and getting no answer, I found the passage wasn’t as funny as I began to identify with the prophets of Baal. They believed in their god. They practiced faith. When it came time for him to reply though, he was silent. In my addiction, when I too cried out to God, begging him to take my appetite for drugs away, I felt the same abandonment. Where was God when I needed him most?

I’d bet that I’m not alone. I imagine that many of us have felt this way. We needed God and we cried out to him, but we got nothing. Where was God? In the case of Baal, he didn’t answer because he wasn’t real. For many of us, God’s silence has caused us to question his existence as well.

I can’t answer for you, but I can now see things a little more clearly. God never left me. I left him. Then, when my life fell apart, I went to him, demanding that he fix things my way. When he didn’t, I felt abandoned. God insisted that I go to treatment and get help. I refused and, in my disobedience, I had the audacity to blame God. When I finally did obey, following God’s will instead of my own, I found that he was right there all along. Now, when I find that God is silent, I must ask if I’ve moved from God. When I honestly seek him, following his will for me, I find that he’s always right there – not out sitting on the pot.