“And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire, a still small voice.” 1 Kings 19:12
Dear Ones:
In God’s dealings with us, He knows exactly how to get our attention, and how to speak to us. There are times when the Lord uses wind, earthquakes, and fire, to awaken us to reality of His greatness and power. Sometimes, in the use of these things, it is a prelude for something greater, though “smaller,” and quieter. Such was the case with Elijah the prophet.
In the 19th chapter of the first book of Kings, we find Elijah in a cave on Mount Horeb, a great distance from Israel, and from his enemies, Ahab and Jezebel. He had recently participated in one of the most remarkable events in the history of Israel, when confronting all of the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. After He had prayed to God in the presence of the people, and prophets of Baal alike, fire would come down out of heaven. The sacrifice would then be consumed in such a manner, that all the people would fall on their faces, declaring that, “…the Lord, He is God.” At this time also, there was a sever famine and drought in the land. Elijah would, according to the revealed word of God, declare to Ahab the king, that “…there is the sound of abundance of rain.” The rain came, and God would again reveal to the people that He was the true, sovereign God of Israel. Also, at this time, the godless wrath of Jezebel would result in an ultimatum being sent to Elijah, declaring that she would kill him. He would then flee into the wilderness, eventually ending up in the cave on Horeb. Here, Elijah is alone. There in his solitude, God uses wind, an earthquake, and fire, to awaken him to the reality of His presence. And yet, it was said of these three manifestations of God’s power, “God was NOT in them.” Why does Scripture say this? It is because of the issue of what is of supreme importance…the word of God, as opposed to the effects of that word. It will be when Elijah will hear the “still small voice,” that he will come to the cave’s opening, with mantle wrapped around his head and face, to hear the Word of the Lord. That word does not come in the form of a rebuke or criticism. It comes for the second time in the form of the same question: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Is the word of the Lord not the most important thing we need to hear?
In Psalm 23, with regard to the matter of stillness, we find David writing: “He leads me beside STILL waters.” Is it not when the waters are still that the clearest, and deepest impressions are made to mind and heart? God certainly “slows us down to go faster,” and He does this by bringing us into the calm of His presence. It is THERE that He speaks, as the hymn-writer puts it, “…in accents clear and still.” It would be on the backside of the desert, in the quietness of the wilderness, that God would reveal Himself to Moses. There, with total clarity and conviction, God would call him to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt. When Jeremiah was in prison in Jerusalem, and the Babylonian army was attacking the city, God would choose that time in Jeremiah’s solitude, and stillness, to speak to him of the coming restoration of the city and nation. So, from a cave, by still water, in the desert, and in prison, God chose to speak clearly to the heart. Perhaps this is one reason that He admonishes us in Psalm 46:10, “…Be still and KNOW that I am God; I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Dear Father, Teach us never to fear the solitude, nor aloneness with Thee. On the contrary, enable us to wait upon Thee in those times of quiet solitude to hear Thy still small voice, saying, “This is the way, walk ye in it.” In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad