Oh, I know I haven't blogged in a long time. I'm not going to make excuses (mostly because I can't think of any). I'm just going to move forward and begin by telling you something the Lord has recently taught me.
I was asked to do a devotional for the worship team during one of our bible studies. I looked at a particular passage for a long time. I begged God to show me what he was trying to say in this particular verse, but He didn't show me till the end of the message, when I was finally able to show everyone my crazy revelation.
"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).Now, this wasn't the only thing I was talking on. I was talking about all of 1 Kings 19: 9b-18, but this verse was really stumbling me. I didn't even want to attempt at teaching on it, because whatever I would have said, would never have glorified God in the way that He intended it to.
When I first read this verse, it looked like a message that God mostly speaks to us in a still small voice, and not in the crazy big things. It looked like a message that we need to listen for his quiet voice instead of only searching for it in the big things.
But that didn't seem right, and I knew that that was not what He was trying to say.
If the Lord wasn't in the great, powerful wind that tore up the mountains and shattered rocks, then where was He? If He wasn't in the earthquake or the fire, then where could He have been? In heaven?
I rejoice now, because I know this was not the case. We serve a personal God. One who longs to be close to us and comfort us the way Elijah needed comfort in this passage.
When someone whispers, can you hear it from across the room? No, you can't. When someone whispers they have to be close, and it's for your ears only that they intend those words.
For this reason, I am convinced that when God sent the wind, the earthquake and the fire, He wasn't in heaven or some far off place.
He was standing right beside Elijah the entire time.
And while Elijah questioned God and feared for his life because Jezebel swore to take it, God didn't rebuke him for his lack of faith. He didn't yell at him or become angry for his doubt. He stood beside him and reminded him of all He could do.
Look at that, did you see that? All that I can do? I know that you're scared and that you've become discouraged. But I am still God and I still have a plan. Are you still in?
We serve a personal God. He's not far away yelling at us and telling us to have more faith. He's not only with those who are righteous and holy. He doesn't look at us every morning and decide if we're worth His time today.
No, our God is close enough to whisper.
