And he said, "Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord." And behold the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke 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 the sound of a low whisper. [also translated "thin silence"] And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him, and he said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
This fascinated me the other day as I continued to study about how Elijah learned to listen to the spirit. God very specifically told him to go out and stand on the mountain. I can only assume that Elijah obeyed - and all of the sudden chaos erupted - literally. Near the end of this passage, when he finally recognized the spirit, it states he went out....... Wait a minute! I thought he was already out of the cave and on the mountain - apparently, at some point, he returned to hiding. Was he scared? Was he failing to believe the promise of God? I only wish I had the answer.
How many times do I seek the voice of God only to be distracted and frightened by the interfering chaos that sounds me and is so prevalent in this world? How many times do the winds of change (change in laws, in policy, in my church, my work, my family) change my entire outlook on life? How many times does an earthquake of struggle hit, and my beliefs are shaken from their foundations? How many times does a fiery trial of tragedy devastate and devour all that I hold dear? I look to the wind, the quake, the fire...where are you now, God? And somewhere in the midst of it all, I run. I hide.
Little do I realize, God has been there the whole time - the Tower watching over this feeble pilot. Maybe what He wanted me to see all along is that he's still there, standing strong, even after the dust settles.
Lord, give me the boldness to come out of the galley and return to the seat trusting that you are there amidst the storms!
Picture of the Day
This is a picture of the fountain that Jared made me for Mother's day three years ago. I love sitting near it in the morning when I'm studying!
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