Gentle Wind - 2/16/2010

Elijah was the last prophet of God in his day - all the others had been killed. When he heard that King Ahab's wife Jezebel was planning to kill him, he fled to the desert. There, God asked Elijah to stand in front of Him on the mountain, and He would pass in front of Elijah. Moses had to ask God for this honor. Here, God freely offered it to Elijah. Before God passed by though, His power first passed in front of him:

1 Kings 19:11-13, "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. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

God passed in a quiet, gentle sound. A whisper. I love that! The God of all creation could have passed in any display of power He wanted, and His very power did precede Him, but he was not in those displays. To represent His very presence, He chose a quiet, gentle sound. How many times have we sought to hear God, looking for earthquakes and fires and awe-inspiring signs, when we should be listening for a gentle whisper?

God is not one who delights in showy displays of His ability, but one who delights in His children. As a Father, He made Himself approachable in gentleness. After displaying what He can do, He finished by showing what He's like before asking Elijah why he was in the desert.

He did not want to put on a "Hey-look-what-I-can-do-and-you-can't" fireworks show. He wanted to have a conversation with his child. It struck me that God did not comfort Elijah in this moment. If I were the last living servant of God and people were trying to kill me, I might be seeking a kind word or two. Instead, God directed Elijah immediately to his next task. God's presence was comfort enough! God's demonstration of His ability was comfort enough. Elijah had all he needed to be obedient to God, and so much more.

So do we. After Jesus' sacrifice, He gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit - God's presence is always with us. And we have before us a testimony of all God has done. We don't need an earthquake or a fire, we have the Bible, the testimony of believers, and His very creation all around us. We, like Elijah, should be able to stand firm in the middle of our trials and simply receive direction from God; simply listen to that gentle whisper in our heart that would guide us toward the next way we can serve Him.

Thank you, Lord, that yours is the way of peace and gentleness, knowing you have the power to move ... yet instead I am moved.

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