There are voices that speak into our life all the time. They may be voices from our family, friends, our culture, our television, and even through books. (For those of you who actually read:) However, there is one voice that we seem to have a hard time listening too and that is the voice of God.
This past week I studied and taught on I Kings 19. It is the story of Elijah running from Jezebel after the incredible spiritual victory on Mt. Carmel against the prophets of the pagan idol Baal in which fire falls from Heaven at Elijah’s request. Immediately Elijah prays again and a three year drought ends. Things are going well for Elijah to say the least. It is at this point that he runs to Jezreel where the message of the evil queen Jezebel meets his ears. She promises him that by the next day he will be dead.
Elijah immediately runs for it dropping his servant off in Beersheba which is ninety miles to the south and he continues on another day into the wilderness. There he pretty much collapses, asks God to “kill him”. God in his mercy sends a “messenger” to feed him twice and then Elijah heads out on a forty day wandering which leads him to Horeb the mountain of God.
This past week I studied and taught on I Kings 19. It is the story of Elijah running from Jezebel after the incredible spiritual victory on Mt. Carmel against the prophets of the pagan idol Baal in which fire falls from Heaven at Elijah’s request. Immediately Elijah prays again and a three year drought ends. Things are going well for Elijah to say the least. It is at this point that he runs to Jezreel where the message of the evil queen Jezebel meets his ears. She promises him that by the next day he will be dead.
Elijah immediately runs for it dropping his servant off in Beersheba which is ninety miles to the south and he continues on another day into the wilderness. There he pretty much collapses, asks God to “kill him”. God in his mercy sends a “messenger” to feed him twice and then Elijah heads out on a forty day wandering which leads him to Horeb the mountain of God.
You see fear and a lack of faith in what God was doing had led him out there into that desert to wander and years prior another group of people had wondered in that same desert because of fear and lack of faith in God and His plan. Sadly, their wandering lasted forty years instead of forty days.
Elijah ends up at the mountain where it had all began. It was the mountain where the Law had been given, where Moses had fasted forty days and where Moses had been hidden in the rock as the Lord had passed by. Elijah goes into the cave and falls asleep.
Here is where it gets interesting. God speaks to Elijah and asks him, “Why are you here? Elijah immediately responds that he has been, “very zealous for the LORD”, “the Children of Israel have forsaken the covenant”, the “prophets have been killed by the sword”, he “alone is left and they seek to take” his life. While most of this is true not all of it is and he knows it. Obadiah had already told him of at least one-hundred prophets of God still alive so what is going on here?
I really believe that Elijah thought God was going to cleanse the land and bring revival in this huge way to Israel. After all, the fire did fall and 450 prophets of Baal were executed not to mention a three year drought had just ended at his prayer to God. All these huge things were happening and I believe Elijah looked for them to continue into spiritual renewal for the nation. But something happened…Jezebel happened… and she was a ruthless murdering pagan queen who kept her word. Elijah was simply not expecting this and it sent him off into this depressed, questioning, fear-ridden state that took him far away. It is in this state where God asks, “What are you doing here?”
Elijah ends up at the mountain where it had all began. It was the mountain where the Law had been given, where Moses had fasted forty days and where Moses had been hidden in the rock as the Lord had passed by. Elijah goes into the cave and falls asleep.
Here is where it gets interesting. God speaks to Elijah and asks him, “Why are you here? Elijah immediately responds that he has been, “very zealous for the LORD”, “the Children of Israel have forsaken the covenant”, the “prophets have been killed by the sword”, he “alone is left and they seek to take” his life. While most of this is true not all of it is and he knows it. Obadiah had already told him of at least one-hundred prophets of God still alive so what is going on here?
I really believe that Elijah thought God was going to cleanse the land and bring revival in this huge way to Israel. After all, the fire did fall and 450 prophets of Baal were executed not to mention a three year drought had just ended at his prayer to God. All these huge things were happening and I believe Elijah looked for them to continue into spiritual renewal for the nation. But something happened…Jezebel happened… and she was a ruthless murdering pagan queen who kept her word. Elijah was simply not expecting this and it sent him off into this depressed, questioning, fear-ridden state that took him far away. It is in this state where God asks, “What are you doing here?”
Are you in a place like Elijah. Are you questioning everything around you, where you are in life, or maybe even questioning God. God tells Elijah to come outside the cave for He (God) is going to pass by. So all of the Sudden this incredible wind that rips the rocks from the mountain itself comes through and it is powerful. But, God was not in the wind. Then an earthquake shakes the foundation of the mountain itself. God was not in the earthquake. Then a fire scorches through but, God is not in the fire either. Then…there in the quietness after all the noise had passed “a still small voice”. At this Elijah puts his mantle on his head in reverence because he knows God has spoken.
He had just heard God ask him the question of “why are you here?” So what was the deal with “still small voice?” I really believe that Elijah was being taught a valuable lesson. It was this. Yes, God does often move in huge ways that are clearly evident. But, often…very often…God is moving even when we do not see nor perceive it. God is powerful and he shows that in creation but I think the real power and wisdom of God is seen in that He can speak directly into the heart of fallen, confused, and rebellious, man in such a way that man can hear it.
With that God asks him why he is there a second time. Elijah responds the same way as before. Then God doesn’t seem to even speak to Elijah’s response at first but tells him to go back up north and anoint the enemy king of Syria, Go anoint a new king over Israel, and go anoint Elisha as a prophet in your place. Then almost parenthetically God says, by the way I have reserved 7000 prophets who have not bowed a knee to the idol nor have the kissed the idol. End of story…
God takes Elijah back to the place where he had left off showing him that He was still working even though Elijah could not see it. Get this, Elijah is to go dabble in international politics with anointing the king of Syria (who was an enemy of Israel) reminding Elijah and us that God is sovereign over the nations. Then go back and anoint a new king over Israel showing that God is sovereign over His enemies. Finally, God says to God anoint a new prophet showing that He will choose His man to accomplish His will. I think I get the point…
You know the older I get the more I realize that life rarely turns out the way I think it is going to. I mean, you see God working in this way or that way so you assume that this and this is going to happen next and when it doesn’t it throws you off sometimes. Here I think we need to draw back and realize that God’s ways are far above our ways and his thoughts are far above our thoughts. Instead of assuming, we need to watch and listen understanding with maturity that God may choose to move in ways that we neither see nor understand at the time. The only way you can do this is in faith. Instead of reacting to circumstances, stop and ask God what your response needs to be in a given situation. This allows a couple of things to happen. First, for your heart to settle back into a response of faith and secondly for you to have wisdom to see the situation as the Lord wants you to see it. This will lead to a response of faith and not fear.
I mean even if people had been looking for God to show up on earth they probably would not have been looking for baby in a feeding trough in Bethlehem and neither would you…. You can Trust HIM! P.S. this is a confession of my own struggles, chad
He had just heard God ask him the question of “why are you here?” So what was the deal with “still small voice?” I really believe that Elijah was being taught a valuable lesson. It was this. Yes, God does often move in huge ways that are clearly evident. But, often…very often…God is moving even when we do not see nor perceive it. God is powerful and he shows that in creation but I think the real power and wisdom of God is seen in that He can speak directly into the heart of fallen, confused, and rebellious, man in such a way that man can hear it.
With that God asks him why he is there a second time. Elijah responds the same way as before. Then God doesn’t seem to even speak to Elijah’s response at first but tells him to go back up north and anoint the enemy king of Syria, Go anoint a new king over Israel, and go anoint Elisha as a prophet in your place. Then almost parenthetically God says, by the way I have reserved 7000 prophets who have not bowed a knee to the idol nor have the kissed the idol. End of story…
God takes Elijah back to the place where he had left off showing him that He was still working even though Elijah could not see it. Get this, Elijah is to go dabble in international politics with anointing the king of Syria (who was an enemy of Israel) reminding Elijah and us that God is sovereign over the nations. Then go back and anoint a new king over Israel showing that God is sovereign over His enemies. Finally, God says to God anoint a new prophet showing that He will choose His man to accomplish His will. I think I get the point…
You know the older I get the more I realize that life rarely turns out the way I think it is going to. I mean, you see God working in this way or that way so you assume that this and this is going to happen next and when it doesn’t it throws you off sometimes. Here I think we need to draw back and realize that God’s ways are far above our ways and his thoughts are far above our thoughts. Instead of assuming, we need to watch and listen understanding with maturity that God may choose to move in ways that we neither see nor understand at the time. The only way you can do this is in faith. Instead of reacting to circumstances, stop and ask God what your response needs to be in a given situation. This allows a couple of things to happen. First, for your heart to settle back into a response of faith and secondly for you to have wisdom to see the situation as the Lord wants you to see it. This will lead to a response of faith and not fear.
I mean even if people had been looking for God to show up on earth they probably would not have been looking for baby in a feeding trough in Bethlehem and neither would you…. You can Trust HIM! P.S. this is a confession of my own struggles, chad
1 comment:
I also think that is how a bunch of people feel, so Chad, you are not alone. We want to be in control, especially when it comes to things with the ministry, and when things go wrong, we get upset and worried about how everything is going to work out. When big things are happening in our ministry, it is very easy to see God working in those situations, but then the earthquakes come, that is when we need to hear still small voice. That is a very hard for everyone, but God is always working when we cant see it, for our good, (I love that about God,) so i wanted to throw in some encouragement for ya Chad. I know that is also something that I struggle with.
and I really like the recap of wed night services, since I cant be there, keep em comin!
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