“And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.“ (KJV 1 Kings 19:11-12)

I went back to church recently, I’m afraid I’ve been “unchurched” for longer than I care to admit. But I feel like something important is awakening within me and I wanted to find a church home. I think I may have found what I was looking for in a small Unity church here in Kent and I want to share what I’m discovering with whoever might be interested. That’s why I’m starting this blog.

The sermon Sunday was on intuition and the minister referred to the phrase “a still small voice” from the Bible. This is a phrase that has been very important to me since I was a kid. If I were to try to describe my relationship with God, no phrase could sum it up better than that one. Effectively my faith boils down to my ability to seek out and hear God’s direction for me through journaling. That’s how the voice comes to me. I’ll talk about that in another post.

Anyway I suddenly realized, sitting in church, that I couldn’t remember where that phrase came from. Who said it? What was the context? I’m embarrassed to admit I thought it was either Jesus or Moses which meant I knew nothing about a phrase that had practically defined my belief system for decades. Boy did I ever need to be back in church!

Fortunately, we have the internet to fill these gaps in knowledge, so I’ve been researching it the past few days and what I have found is both fascinating and inspiring.

First of all the phrase came to the prophet Elijah as told in the book 1 Kings chapter 19. E was a badass prophet who prayed to God to stop the rain for a couple of years to punish the Israelites for abandoning God and worshiping the pagan god Baal instead. He also challenged Baal’s prophets to a duel involving a sacrifice. The false prophets spent all day beseeching Baal to demonstrate his power by burning the offering. When they finally gave up E called upon God who sent a fire so hot it disintegrated the offering and burned the rocks it was on!

So Elijah was the real deal, capable of calling forth fire and brimstone on command. Yet when word got back to him that the queen, a devoted follower of Baal, was committed to seeing E’s head on a stick, he panicked and fled. Isn’t that interesting? Here’s a man who had a far better connection to God than anyone most of us have ever known, yet in a moment of crisis he lost his faith (and his nerve) and literally headed for the hills.

On his journey through the wilderness God sent an angel who provided Elijah with food and water to give him strength up for his long trek to the mountain. There E found refuge in a cave. Then God asked him, “Elijah, what are you doing here?” Talk about being busted! E responded with what sounds like a prepared speech about his predicament (which he later repeated verbatim). God told him to come out of the cave but when E stayed put he was treated to a show of force.

There were lots of fireworks but God wasn't in them, God was in the still small voice. This was an important lesson for a prophet who was used to bombastic displays of divine power.

It’s also an important lesson for us today. I would sum it up this way: don’t be impressed by the big noise in your life. Even if your problems feel like you’re trapped in a mountainside cave while hurricane, earthquake and wild fire rage around you, don’t be impressed by that. And don't just pray for your deliverance, pray for direction. "God, what do you need me to do to bring peace and healing to this situation?" Listen for that quiet voice inside you. Seek out the Lord and he will direct your path.

I'll finish with what the voice told Elijah. E’s problem was he was tired of the fight and he wanted to die a peaceful death, not be murdered by some vengeful queen. God’s solution was a simple plan: go anoint new kings in Syria and Israel and pass the mantle of prophet to Elisha. Each of these three was more than ready for the challenge. In this way E could pass the torch of this fight to the next generation of warriors and retire in peace.

God always has a solution, our job is to seek Him out through prayer, listen and then take action.

I hope this little essay was worth your time. Please leave a comment if you feel so moved. Have a blessed day.