On hearing God
1 Kings 19:11-13
11 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. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
On the pod some weeks ago, we discussed hearing the voice of God. The above is, perhaps, one of the most oft quoted bits of scripture on the subject.
Here Elija, a prophet of God, is on the run for his life in a situation that one could say, ‘aint fair. He was a faithful man of God and, in His distress, ran, got real dramatic, slept in a whole cave and then the Lord asked him, “why are you here?”
Elija replies, “Lord, these people are crazy - I did no things wrong and now they are tryna kill me” (a paraphrase).
He needed God to speak to him - as we do when we have questions, when we are dealing with a lot, when life comes at us real fast, when we are confused by circumstances.
God tells him to go to where His presence is & that He will pass by. And He does. Boy does He.
But not in the way we expect - perhaps not in the way Elija expected. I would have expected the wind to carry the force of powerful words or the earthquake to shake some sense into my soul, but no.
Because God's specialty is defying expectations. And He is mighty and powerful, yes, but He is equal parts gentle and kind.
Will God speak to you? Yes.
How will He speak? I don’t know.
It could be a knowing in your spirit. Could be confirmation from a sermon. Or in the words of a friend. Honestly, as creative as God is, it could be spoken from the mouth of someone you avoid when they saunter in the same room you occupy (stop that, btw).
What I do know is that the prerequisite for the privilege from hearing from Him remains the same, whether it’s in dulcet tones or what feels like a smack upside the head: get to where His presence is.
If you need to hear from the Lord (and you do. And so do I) the only answer is to get into his presence.
In the morning. On your drive. As you work. Upon cleaning & closing. Before sleep.
Read His Word - He resides there - and it’s what He will ALWAYS sound like. Find quiet time and pray. He grows louder the quieter you get.
So, if you need to hear Him - it depends on how much static you will clear from your own life so He comes in crystalline. The more time you spend with God, the faster you will recognize the cadence of His voice. That is the way. It is the only one.
Pursue Him. It just so happens His voice comes with.
