Then
a great and powerful wind tore the
mountains
apart and shattered the rocks
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.
After the earthquake came a
fire,
but the LORD was not in the fire. And
after
the fire came a gentle whisper.”
1 Kings 19:11b-12
In 1 Kings 18 we read about the prophet
Elijah on Mt. Carmel with 450 prophets of Baal. Elijah prayed and God displayed
His mighty power allowing Elijah to defeat those 450 ungodly prophets of a pagan
god. Soon after that event, being threatened by one woman—Jezebel, Elijah
ran for his life. Finally, he reached the desert, sat down under a broom tree
and prayed to die. God sent a ministering angel, and later in the story we find
Elijah sleeping in a cave on Mt. Horeb.
God spoke to Elijah. “What are you doing
here, Elijah?” (verse 9) Elijah whined. “The Israelites have rejected your
covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the
sword. I am the only one left, and
now they are trying to kill me too.” Seriously! The only one left…
Have you been to that place? I have. You
know—the place where you thought you were the only one! The place where no one
understood but you! The place where you were misunderstood and mistreated! The
place where you became so tired from the work that you just wanted to quit!
After all, who cared and who knew what you were going through—who understood?
Maybe you are in that place now—overwhelmed
by work, finances, illness, family problems… Take heart! You are in the perfect
place for God to show His mighty power.
After Elijah stopped whining, The LORD
told him to “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for
the LORD is about to pass by.” Wow! Watch Elijah! Wait Elijah! I AM is coming!
(That is on my list of requested videos when I get to heaven.)
Verses ten and eleven tell us the wind
came and tore the mountains apart, an earthquake followed, and then came a
fire. But the LORD was in none of those things. Then, after the fire, came a gentle whisper. “When Elijah
heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth
of the cave.” Elijah recognized the voice of God.
It
is interesting to note that God told Elijah to “go out” and stand on the
mountain and after God whispered, we read that Elijah “went out” and stood at
the mouth of the cave. I would love to know at what point he retreated from
standing on the mountain to hiding in the mountain. But it was the gentle
whisper of God that brought Elijah out where he stood in the presence of the
Almighty.
We live in a noisy world; television,
telephones, conferences, rallies, traffic… It is sometimes difficult to discern
the voice of God in the midst of life’s wind and earthquakes and fires. Might I
suggest a step back from the noise that surrounds our daily living—a Psalm
46:10 moment, “Be still and KNOW that I am God.” Could it be that He is just
waiting for us to have a quiet humble heart? Is it possible that we might then
be favored with the presence of the Almighty and receive grace to hear His
whisper?
©JP
2013
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