Experience God in the Silence.
Good Morning Friends,
The mission God entrusted to Elijah was to anoint the new king of Israel and the new prophet called to succeed Elijah himself. Elijah had just kicked Jezebel’s minions’ buttes and Jezebel was one to take revenge. Facing the reality of all this was not easy for Elijah. One day we too can be courageous leaders in the victorious service of God, and afterwards we can become depressed to the point where we want to give up because someone has pushed our buttons. That is what happened to Elijah and it can happen to us too. So today we seek the balance of these two extremes of strength and human frailty through a God that prompts us to be faithful in the ordinary. That is what we see in the story of the Prophet Elijah, described in the First Book of Kings. It is a model of faith that seeks and retreats and seeks again. It is here in the story that Elijah on Mount Horeb received the invitation to come out of the cave in order to see the presence of the Lord. When the Lord passed, there was a strong wind, an earthquake, and a fire, one after another – but the Lord was not present in any of them. Then there was a light breeze… and it was in the breeze that Elijah recognized the passage of the Lord in a thread of silent sound. It seems to be a contradiction but it is a gift of discernment as God prepares us to continue the mission entrusted to us. Through trial we are prepared for greater obedience and perseverance. The silence is a prelude to action. But first we must Experience God in the Silence.
Scripture: And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
1 Kings 19:11-13 (KJV)
The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
Psalm 145:18 (NRSV)
A jealous and avenging God is the Lord, the Lord is avenging and wrathful; the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries and rages against his enemies. The LORD is patient, but he is also very powerful! The LORD will punish the guilty; he will not let them go free. He will use whirlwinds and storms to show his power. People walk on the dusty ground, but he walks on the clouds.
Nahum 1:2-3 (NRSV)
Message: It is confusing. One passage says that God is in the storm and another that He is not. Perhaps it is about tuning into God’s voice and tuning out the noise of the world. There is a lot more noise in the modern world. But maybe this is not about piety or getting back to nature at all. Friends, we need to listen to God whether He is being gentle or firm….patient or powerful. Perhaps this still small voice of God is the power that comes out of silence…the silence that comes before prayer…the silence that comes before the storm and after the storm…the pregnant pause that prepares us to hear what God is telling us to do. It is not just about reliving the experiences of the saints in our minds. Maybe relying on God’s promises and trusting that the work is His and not ours to achieve is the message after all. Friends, sometimes God chooses to show His power in silence. There is a rest in the music and sometimes we need to rest as well so we can get back to the daily and ordinary and growth in the extraordinary commission of proclaiming Christ. The reality of God is far greater than our conceptions of God. In this passage, Elijah, persecuted and feeling hopeless, returns to the mountain where God appeared to Moses and hopes for a similar spectacular revelation of His glory. Yet God confounds and comforts Elijah by appearing as a still small voice.
Pray we realize that silence is not always tender. Pray our friends are not silent in times of our need. Pray we experience Elijah and Moses on the mountain top but never choose to stay there. Pray we realize that the law of God can never make us acceptable to God. Pray we realize that today we have some things to do that witness the power of God, but that in the end they too are as a still small voice. Pray we realize that we can be saved only by the provision of God’s grace. Pray we realize that we are justified by faith. Pray we realize that we are never ever really alone. Pray that we have faith and confidence in a God that raised Jesus from the dead and surely can use our ordinary everyday lives to give a glimpse of glory. Pray we realize that God has the right to remain silent but that we should not exercise this authority on our own to claim its power for ourselves. Pray we discover glory in the everyday and proclaim it.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 