The Wind and the Whisper
By Leisa Speed Rayborn
And the word of the Lord came to
him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
He
replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites
have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to
death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me
too.”
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
(1 Kings 19:9-13).
Elijah was zealous for the presence of The
Lord! But he experienced great exhaustion and discouragement. The
wicked Queen Jezebel had a mission to take him out, and he had given every ounce
of strength in his mighty work for The Lord. He sought refuge. In extreme
fatigue, he asked God to let him die. He seemed to think that he was the only
one in Israel that hadn't bowed down to the false God, Baal.
The
Lord told him to go stand on the mountain. Many times in Scripture God used
three signs to accompany His presence: wind, earthquake, and fire. He spoke to
Elijah in a whisper. His presence, found in this still small voice, suggests
Gods works in gentle ways as well as powerful ways. Oh, we should all have this
passion for His presence. Without His presence, the “spiritual bones” which
structure our lives become dry, weak, depressed, withered, saddened, anxious,
distant, severed, detached, and unconnected. In our desperation, we long to be
reconnected with Him.
Worship is beautiful and a true gift from
God. As we give of ourselves in honor and praise, He gives us release and
freedom from the fear of our temporary circumstances. Our open communion in
worship with Him fills us with His presence. As we draw near to Him, whether on
the mountain or in the valley, He will draw near to us. What are your
circumstances today? God seeks your heart in worship. There you will find relief
and His peace which passes understanding in ways no words can
express.
Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the
Lord our Maker (Psalms 95:6).
Yet a time is coming and has now
come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the
Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father
seeks (John 4:23).
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