A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn’t to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn’t in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn’t in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper.
1 Kings 19:11-12 The Message
Silence is golden I believe was a number one hit from a group called The Tremeloes.
I believe at times this can be a number one goal for us too. There are times we must stay silent in order to hear from God.
We talked yesterday about presenting ourselves both intentionally and devotionally on a daily basis and one key ingredient both Elijah and ourselves need to know is silence at times is how God would wish us to present ourselves to Him. Elijah was about to have one of those Kyros moments as he sat in a cave.
Background to this story King Ahab, the priests and the people of Israel present themselves before Elijah to see whose god was the only true God. Elijah and the rest witnessed an overwhelming victory for Elijah God and the result was that those priests who had led a nation away from the true God were killed. on Mount Carmel.
Ahab’s wife Jezebel heard the news and sent a message out to Elijah and Elijah found himself running to another mountain in total fear, going from one extreme to the other in a very short space of time. I know you will agree with me we can say like Elijah I know the feeling. One day up, the next way down low, such is the human experience.
Whatever causes you to act like that will.be different for us all. In Elijah’s case, it was fear of a threat to kill him. Elijah really needed to hear from God.
He was about to learn a lesson on how God presents Himself at times and comes to answer in ways which Elijah was not expecting. The Bible says this: Then he was told, “Go, stand on the mountain before God. God will pass by.”
A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn’t to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn’t in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn’t in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper.
1 Kings 19:11-12 The Message
Making sure I am quiet enough to hear the same kinds of whispering that Elijah heard on the mountain is vital. One thing I have learned is the importance to have those quiet times with God. Before lockdown I regularly had an away day (retreat) once a month for that sole purpose.
We live I believe.in a hectic environment with lots of pressure for the now, instant seems to be the call of the day. Can you imagine living without a microwave? (although my father in law never had one ) We live in a fast must now have world but God often wants us to slow down, and present ourselves with no other schedule than to be in His presence.
Silence in prayer is often not something we orchestrate; rather, it is a gift that can come upon us quite unexpectedly. Instead of rushing to fill the gap, we learn to embrace the gift as the better part of our time of prayer.
Wesley and Stacey Campbell
Remember our reading, God was not in the hurricane. We live as I say in the busyness of our present-day life, which incorporates a whirlwind of activity at times just like the hurricane.
Jesus had a busy day, but often spent the night time for quiet times with His Father; the busyness of the day was not going to prevent Him from presenting Himself to the Father therefore ensuring He would not be missing out. He would be silent before His Father all night if necessary.
At that time Jesus went off to a mountain to pray, and he spent the night praying to God.
Luke 6:12
So quiet time is recommended for you and me to encounter God. Let me encourage you with some verses that just might help.
Be still, and know that I am God
Psalm 46:10
The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent
Exodus 14:14
“Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord will hear when I call to him… when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.
Psalm 4:3-4
He said to them, “Come away by yourselves, and we will go to a lonely place to get some rest.”
Mark 6:31
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Mark 1:35
Stay safe and be blessed.