The story told in 1 Kings 19 starts wrong but ends well. The chapter begins with the prophet Elijah running for his life from Jezebel. Elijah ran to Beersheba in the extreme southern portion of Israel. Anyone who got as far away as Beersheba could consider himself safe from a nasty queen in the northern kingdom. Just to be on the safe side, Elijah continued another full day’s journey into the wilderness until he felt that he was safely out of Jezebel’s reach. Then he hid himself under a tree and prayed to die.
Elijah was on the run. With his courage gone, Elijah was in crisis.
He finally ended up at Mount Horeb – a forty day journey into the wilderness. Elijah was a long ways from home and was hiding in a cave. That’s when God spoke. You can read about it in 1 Kings 19:11-12. As Elijah stood in the mouth of the cave, a strong wind hit the mountain. Being a stormy prophet, Elijah probably thought, “This is God!” But God wasn’t in the wind. Next came an earthquake which was Elijah’s style. He liked to shake things up! But God wasn’t in the earthquake either. Finally, fire from heaven fell as it did on Mount Carmel in c18. But God wasn’t in the fire.
When the wind, earthquake, and fire finally passed, Elijah heard a still small voice. Why did God whisper? Was it to get Elijah’s attention? I think the wind, earthquake, and fire accomplished that. Maybe it was to emphasize the importance of the message. Often, when people have something important to say, they lower their voice for effect.
Elijah was thinking wrong. Consequently, he was going in the wrong direction. The prophet of God to Israel had run from his calling. He had forsaken his post. Elijah was ready to quit, but God had more work for him to do. So God spoke to Elijah in a whisper and sent him back to finish the job.
If you think God isn’t talking to you, maybe He is whispering. God has something very important to say. Get alone with Him. Quiet your heart. He still speaks in a still small voice.
Pastor Todd Weston
Elijah was on the run. With his courage gone, Elijah was in crisis.
He finally ended up at Mount Horeb – a forty day journey into the wilderness. Elijah was a long ways from home and was hiding in a cave. That’s when God spoke. You can read about it in 1 Kings 19:11-12. As Elijah stood in the mouth of the cave, a strong wind hit the mountain. Being a stormy prophet, Elijah probably thought, “This is God!” But God wasn’t in the wind. Next came an earthquake which was Elijah’s style. He liked to shake things up! But God wasn’t in the earthquake either. Finally, fire from heaven fell as it did on Mount Carmel in c18. But God wasn’t in the fire.
When the wind, earthquake, and fire finally passed, Elijah heard a still small voice. Why did God whisper? Was it to get Elijah’s attention? I think the wind, earthquake, and fire accomplished that. Maybe it was to emphasize the importance of the message. Often, when people have something important to say, they lower their voice for effect.
Elijah was thinking wrong. Consequently, he was going in the wrong direction. The prophet of God to Israel had run from his calling. He had forsaken his post. Elijah was ready to quit, but God had more work for him to do. So God spoke to Elijah in a whisper and sent him back to finish the job.
If you think God isn’t talking to you, maybe He is whispering. God has something very important to say. Get alone with Him. Quiet your heart. He still speaks in a still small voice.
Pastor Todd Weston
