The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” 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 19:11-12
Isn’t it funny how you can hear a scripture so many times but then one day you read it, and it suddenly makes sense?
As I was having my quiet time this morning, this is the passage of scripture I read. And the imagery struck me as if seeing it for the first time.
The context of this passage is that Elijah the prophet is hiding from Jezebel who had threatened to kill him after he had overcome the false prophets of Baal. As Elijah was hiding in a cave, God spoke to him. But it wasn’t in the way most of us would expect.
Some of the things that struck me about this passage:
In verse 11 it says, “Go out and stand on the mountain”. Elijah had to do something. He had to leave the safety of his hiding place and ‘go out’. He couldn’t stay where he was if he wanted to hear what the Lord had to say. ‘Going out’ involved action on Elijah’s part. I imagine it also took a great deal of courage, especially when someone was after his life! He could not be a passive onlooker in what God was about to do. It is the same with us. We can’t just sit back and wait for God to move. Although He can, and sometimes does move on our behalf and without us doing anything, I have found it works better when we engage ourselves with His will and proactively step out in faith.
The rest of verse 11 describes what happened when God passed by. 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. This does not describe a serene encounter! Elijah must have been terrified. I know I would have been! Just imagine mountains being torn apart and rocks shattered, the noise alone would have been deafening. Now imagine trying to keep your feet in such a strong wind. The visual imagery in this is spectacular. And, if that wasn’t enough it was followed up with an earthquake! Still, we read, God was not in any of these things.
And then in verse 12: After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. It would seem God wasn’t finished with the natural disasters to get Elijah’s attention. Winds, earthquakes, and fire. If I was Elijah, I think I would have high-tailed it out of there by now! But what happens next? God speaks in a gentle whisper. And what does He say? “What are you doing here Elijah?” This is the second time He asks Elijah what he is doing there. As if He didn’t already know! And when Elijah tells God why he is there, that people are out to kill him, what does God do? He sends him back! Verse 15: The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came…” I have to wonder what Elijah was thinking at this point. Seriously?
My point is this. Often, we are so busy trying to hear God in the ‘noise’ we forget to be still and listen for him in the whisper. Sometimes He has to do something radical to get our attention. Especially in those times we are frantically trying to run away. Obedience to God’s will is hard, and at times costly. But as we read earlier in this chapter when Elijah was first on the run from Jezebel, God provides for us and sustains us in our trials (verses 3-8). We can’t outrun God. And we need to listen for Him in the unexpected, in the quiet places. And when He speaks, we need to be ready to do what He says.
Get up. Go out. Listen. Take a step. Even if it’s frightening or it doesn’t make sense. Trust His gentle whisper. He will never leave you or forsake you.