REFOCUS
Begin with two minutes of silence. Breathe deeply while you focus on Jesus. Speak to Him on your breath, saying, “Bless the Lord” on the inhale, and “O my soul” on the exhale. (Ps 103.1)
READ
1 Peter 3:8-9
Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult.
9 On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
1 Kings 19:10-13 NIV
“I’ve been very zealous for the Lord God of the Heavenly Armies,” he replied. “The Israelis have abandoned your covenant, demolished your altars, executed your prophets with swords, and I — that’s right, just me! — am the only one left. Now they’re seeking my life, to get rid of me!”
11 “Go out,” he responded, “and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord.” And there was the Lord, passing by! A tremendous, mighty windstorm was tearing at the mountains and breaking the rocks in pieces in the presence of the Lord, but the Lord was not in the windstorm. After the wind there came an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
12 After the earthquake there came fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, there was the sound of a gentle whisper.
13 As soon as Elijah heard it, he covered his face in his mantle, went outside, and stood at the entrance to the cave. And there a voice spoke to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
REFLECT
God in the Whispers
Samantha struggled mightily with her faith. The home she grew up in was marked by abuse. After leaving her home at 16, life improved little. By the time she was 30, a series of broken relationships had left her alone. After several failed jobs, she was broke, in debt, and working at a job far below her abilities. In addition, addiction had taken its toll on her health.
Along the way, she was befriended by a coworker who was a follower of Jesus. When the subject of faith came up, Samantha first described herself as an atheist. In time, however, as they talked and Samantha observed her friend’s life, she came to believe and put her trust in Christ.
Over the next few years, life began to improve. She met other Christians and built friendships. Through prayer and counsel, she found healing and comfort for the wounds of her childhood. She became free of the addictions, and her health improved. The new friends, combined with her improved emotional, physical and mental health, opened up new opportunities for Samantha. Thus, her work situation improved considerably.
And yet she struggled.
“I’m looking for a burning bush,” she would say. “If God would just give me a burning bush, then I would have no trouble believing.”
Many times, I marveled at her inability to see what I and others saw – SHE was the miracle.
It shouldn’t have surprised me. It seems it is human nature to miss the things of God and to forget the ways He has shown up for us. Enter Elijah. After he prayed, God sent fire from Heaven to prove the prophets of King Ahaz and Queen Jezebel were serving false gods. It was a miracle on steroids. And yet when the Queen put a bounty on his head, Elijah became so deeply depressed, he ran to the mountains and went looking for God — looking for yet another big event that would convince him that God was still powerful and still with him.
But when God did show up, it was not in the power of a big event, but in the intimacy of a whisper. And what did that “still small voice” say? It asked Elijah to look at himself — his motives, his heart, and his actions. “Where are you, Elijah?”
That is exactly what happened to Samantha. Over the years, God had worked small miracles of transformation in her life. Over the years, He had comforted her, challenged her, and changed her. Unfortunately, her desire for extravagant manifestations of God had kept her from seeing the transforming hand of God in small, consistent, and tender ways.
Are you like Samantha, prone to overlook the daily presence of God while searching for your miracle? If so, remember the lesson of Elijah. Burning bushes, earthquakes, windstorms, and fire from Heaven are wonderful and exciting. Yet, they come and go. Real power is found not in shouts, but in whispers.
RESPOND
Questions to Consider
- Have there been “burning bushes” for me in the past?
- If God asked me, “Where are you?” as He did Elijah, how would I answer?
Prayer
Almighty God,
I am tempted to seek you in the “burning bushes,” the miracles, and the big events. Today, let me find you in the stillness and the so-called small events of this day. Whisper to my heart, Lord Jesus.
Blessings,
Rev. James R. Needham, PhD, MDiv