Adrenaline Junky!

 

I have noticed something about God: He’s got a feel for the dramatic. If it’s a choice between black-and-white and color, He goes with the rainbow. He is an adrenaline junky, one minute He has us in the center lane, the next He has us along the side of a cliff and if that isn’t enough for us He takes us to soaring heights and suddenly, unexpectedly He throws in a steep drop. And like a roller coaster we reach our destination only to get back in line, wait on the next season and do it all over.

It is a great setup for our story…it is as if we are penning the words to describe a summer or a season experience. Our story is made up of the different seasons of life we have experienced. God is going to see to it that none of our stories are dull.

He is the King of drama…I believe He does some stuff in our lives simply for a dramatic effect.

Pastor what are you talking about? Why are you making God out to be a dramatic person?

Well let’s look at the scripture. [Exodus 9:15-16]

God could have extinguished Pharaoh in one moment and peacefully lead His people out of Egypt. But that option didn’t satisfy His liking for excitement. It was too boring, God said so Himself to Pharaoh.

Exodus 9:15-16 (NKJV)
Now if I had stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth.
But indeed, for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.

God was telling Pharaoh, “I’m not going to destroy you with one lethal blow. I’m going to hit you again, and again, and again. With each hit – the intensity is going to rise, until the whole thing reaches towering levels of suspense. Then – when I deliver My People, my name will be glorified in all the earth.

It was almost as if God sent a squadron of B-2 Stealth Bombers to drop plagues upon Egypt. God didn’t just hit Pharaoh once, twice, or even three times, but He sent ten devastating plagues that seemed to detonate one right after another.

Pharaoh finally has a change of heart only to quickly change his mind again. So, God sits back and begins to brainstorm how He can make this story a little more interesting He makes a passage way in the middle of the Red Sea and as they pursued he drowned them.

You talk about a story…this type of news spreads fast.

Look at another example: Peter is in prison [Acts 12]. He was incarcerated in Herod’s prison for quite a few days, but look when God finally decided to release him.

It’s the last night before his scheduled execution. God could have delivered him days before, but He waited till the last moment. Why? So, He could stir up suspense and give him a good story to share with others.

Often, we catch ourselves asking the questions:

• Why is He a last-minute God?
• Why does He hesitate to intervene until the tension becomes so great?
• Why does He wait until “the break of dawn” to help His people?

Psalm 46:5 (NKJV)
God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;

God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.

Like a good book or movie, the hero doesn’t come riding in until all hope is lost and they are on the verge of defeat. God to likes to make a name for Himself.

Look at the time He delivered Paul and Silas from jail in Philippi [Acts 16]. God watched while they were being beaten bloody and then placed in stocks. He watched while the hours ticked away, and Paul and Silas had nothing else to do but to sing and pray. Then at midnight, the dawning of a new day, KABOOM, an earthquake struck, all the doors of the jail flung wide, and the chains fell off all the prisoners. The jailer and his entire family got saved, and a church was planted.  Now that is a story…The title might read, “From the agony of defeat to triumph victory” or “From prisoner to pioneer” as they now were pioneers of a new church plant.

This story gets even better…at first glance it appears God is setting them free so they can continue their mission. But when you look at the story more closely, you realize they were going to be released the next morning anyways. So why did God send an earthquake and release them hours earlier? Simply for the drama, Had He allowed it to play out the jailer and his family would not have gotten saved, and a church would not have been planted.

God is into our stories, He loves to shake things up and bring glory to His name.