Hello, all! Our topic for today is the "still small voice" of God, which can be seen in action when God speaks to Elijah in 1 Kings 19:
Then He said, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" (1 Kings 19:11-13 NKJV)
Imagine for a moment, if you would, being in Elijah's shoes. You seek to hear from God, and while you seek Him, you see a great wind tearing into the mountains, you witness rocks as they are smashed into pieces all around you, you feel the earth tremble, and you see an all-consuming fire rise up before your very eyes. Yet still, you hear no word from God. And then it comes: a whisper, as soft as the breeze whispering in your ear, and this whisper asks, "Why have you come?"
Just as God chose to speak with Elijah in this manner, in this way He sometimes chooses to speak with us. Why? Because He wants us to listen. We must sometimes be silent ourselves in order to hear from God. But we also have His promise that when we seek Him in this manner, He will surely meet us.
Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:12-13 NKJV)
Seeking is great, and we all need to do it fervently, but seeking is only half of it; we must also be willing to submit to His Will when we do hear from Him, regardless of what He calls us to do (that is, as long as it's truly God who we're hearing from - but we'll touch on this issue more tomorrow). Abraham is a good example of this - when God called on him to sacrifice his only son, he obeyed - but thankfully, this was a test of faith, and at the last moment God called Abraham away from sacrificing his son and He Himself provided the ram that they were to use.
Jesus is another great example - a perfect example, in fact. We read of Him pleading with the Father the night of His crucifixion, but along with those pleading words, we see Him utter the famous words we all know and love: "Not my will but Yours be done." (Luke 22:42) Let us, then, follow this perfect example and seek to hear from this "still small voice" with all our hearts, and, when we do hear, to be willing to submit. Tomorrow we will examine this further, but for now, let us end with this short prayer:
I call with all my heart; answer me, O LORD, and I will obey your decrees. (Psalm 119:145)
Blessings,
Andrew
