Roars and Whispers

I Kings 19:9-12

Evidently Elijah experienced a memory lapse. Forgotten are God’s miraculous provisions; forgotten are God’s wondrous ways; forgotten are the great victories. One person caused him to run. The roar was deafening. A cave seemed the best protection.

Do you identify?

I do. Oh how often I try to shield myself, to hunt for caves when the roars roar. 

The bad news: the big, the hard, the fearful roars of life overwhelm the wonders, delights, and victories. And I run to a cave.

The good news: God knows where my caves are. He does not hesitate to initiate toward me and communicate with me. 

“The word of the Lord came to him, (Elijah)” I Kings 19:9. The word of the Lord is a repeated theme in the story of Elijah. (17:2, 17:5, 17:8, 17:14, 17:16, 17:24, 18:1, 18:31, 18:36, 19:9) I couldn’t help but notice. In many of the cases God started the conversation.

The word of the Lord is a repeated theme for me as well. 

Like Elijah, God’s words come in a low whisper, more accurately translated from the Hebrew ‘the sound of gentle quietness’. The sound that is so opposite of the wind, the earthquake, and the fire. The gentle quietness created the atmosphere for Elijah to hear.

The roars of proverbial winds, earthquakes, and fires framed my story and set the stage for my ability to hear, in gentle quietness. It is good.

An upstairs bedroom was the setting for my first gentle quietness. It was there that I responded to His invitation to join His family. Then it was my dorm room and the realization that my prayers were punctuating the ceiling; it was a conversation not memorized words. I had stepped out of my cave.

The word of the Lord came to me in John 1:12. The scriptures began speaking to my soul.

The roars of life continue …. And so does my initiating God.  

I sometimes run for caves. I’m finding God is always there first.

The word of the Lord comes in an atmosphere of gentle quietness.

Jesus invites me in the midst of my roaring reality to quietness. I exhale. Quietness rejuvenates.

"Come to me all who labor, and are heavy laden,

                                                                and I will give you rest."

Matthew 11:28

What things are roaring in your life at the moment? What do your caves look like? How are you experiencing the word of the Lord coming to you? Where are your places that gentle quietness is most easily heard? What word from the Lord is encouraging you today?

One more week on Elijah ... the new assignment ... God continues his purpose for Elijah.