God in the silence
Elijah was a man who saw the dead raised. Yet he became so discouraged by his discouragers
that he himself wanted to die. The irony of that is never lost on me.
Yet as he’s
in the desert -
The way that God chose to minister to Elijah that day was
so much more powerful than the symbols of power that had just gone before. Instead,
it was a still small voice – a ‘gentle whisper’. It certainly wasn’t as obvious as
fire, wind and quake – yet it couldn’t have been any more powerful. Think about it...God’s
own voice – personal, real, profound.
Those of us who passionately believe in the
work of the Spirit today like to speak of ‘fire’. It captures the sense of what the
Holy Spirit did to the believers at Pentecost when what looked like ‘flames of fire’
sat on each of the disciples heads. We believe the same can happen today. Fire changes
everything. It purifies. It sanctifies. It gives a supernatural jolt – and causes
us to live passionately and lead others to personal faith.
We also like the idea
of Wind – which represents the reviving power of the Spirit – bringing what was dead
back to life and purpose. And of course we LOVE the shaking of the earthquake. There’s
nothing quite like a meeting that’s shaken by the Holy Spirit. I never speak of it
– other than to say I have personally been in a room that was literally shaken by
the power of God.
All these things are important. Yet there is one that’s more important
than them all. It’s not always spectacular. It’s not always obvious. And it’s not
always glamorous. But in the midst of the silence, there is God’s still small voice.
Truth
is...few ever hear it. Why is that? Well...for a start, it takes discipline and patience
to listen. When the fire falls, that’s different. It’s quick. It’s visible. It’s
easily apparent. Same when the wind blasts and the earthquake shakes. Yet the still
small voice requires a willingness to be quiet and attentive to what God is saying.
When we learn to hear God’s still small voice speaking into our lives – it’s that
more than anything else which will be the catalyst for the kind of change that lasts
forever. Not only does it affect us – but others too. Think about it. After Elijah
heard God’s still small voice, he was supernaturally encouraged to get back in line
with his God-
No-