Big Things or A Whisper

God sent a great wind to part the Red Sea so the Israelites could pass through on dry land..  

Exodus 14:1:  Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided,

God appeared to Moses on Mt. Sinani and covered the mountain with smoke and the mountain shook violently.  

Exodus 19:18: All of Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord had descended on it in the form of fire. The smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a brick kiln, and the whole mountain shook violently.

God led the Israelites through the wilderness using a cloud by day and a fire by night.

Exodus 13:21:  By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.

God has done some VERY big things in the Old Testament.  

Now we find Elijah in 1 Kings 19.  Elijah has gone back to Mt. Sinai, the same mountain where God appeared to Moses.  I have a feeling Elijah was expecting God to do something big.  Elijah had walked for 40 days and 40 nights to get to this place.   When he crawled in the cave, Elijah went to sleep.  The Word of God came and asked him, what are you doing here?  I would like to think Elijah’s response in modern day English goes something like this.  Well, God in case you haven’t noticed I have been exhausting myself working for you!  And look where it’s got me...my friends are turning their backs on you and me and now my own life is in danger.  

Have you ever felt like Elijah?  Have you ever thought you were doing all the right things and no one saw?  No one even cared?  And now you’ve lost your friends trying to do what’s right!  Maybe you have even felt like God didn’t even care that you were exhausting yourself trying to do all these good things!  I know I have!  

And in that place, I find myself expecting God to do something big!  A rescue operation maybe?!  Sounds like a great plan to me.  Alright God, come into my mess and rescue me.  Use a windstorm, an earthquake, fire, something God….something big!  After all, this is a big mess and it is going to require a big act on your part God.  I personally think this might have been what Elijah was expecting, something big from God.  We read in 1 Kings that a windstorm, an earthquake and a fire did come to Elijah but God was not in them!  God was not into doing something big this time.  God was about whispering in Elijah’s ear.  Scripture doesn’t tell us what God whispered in Elijah’s ear but I think it might have sounded similar to some things that God might whisper in our Elijah moments.

I think God might say, be still my child.  You are exhausting yourself doing many things.  But there is a difference in doing things and being with me.  I want you to be with me.  I want you to experience My peace, My comfort, My wisdom, My plans for you.  But sweet child, you have to trust me even in the middle of hurt, pain, and chaos.  Just be still and let me fight for you.  You get so busy trying to figure out how to get others to see the good things you are doing, you are inventing ways to win your friends back, and you are busy thinking you are Me, thinking your ways are right and surely your plans are My plans.  All I ask is for you to be!  Be still.  Let me fight.  Let me direct your paths.  Trust me my child!  My plans for you are good.  

And I think God asks again, why are you here?  Why are you in this place in life?  God asks Elijah again, what are you doing here?  Elijah’s response was the same as it was before the wind, the earthquake, the fire, and the whisper!  I think Elijah missed the heart of God’s whispers.  Oh, may we not be like Elijah!  May we be still and let God’s whisper soothe our souls.  May we be still and wait for God to fight our battles instead of figuring them out in our human minds.  May we let God heal relationships that need to be repaired instead of causing more damage in our inventing.  May we be still and may we be with God!  

When we focus on being still and being with God, we get to experience Him.  His peace.  His comfort.  His wisdom.  His plans.  Be still!  Let God be exalted, let God work, let God fight, let His plans for you unfold.  You only need to be still.

Psalm 46:10:  He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

--Do you take time to be still and wait on God?  Or do you get in a hurry and figure things out in your own mind?

--Do you let God whisper in your ear?  Do you let His whispers change you from the inside out or do you hold on to what you know and what is comfortable to you?

--Karen Smith