The Waiting Walk

“…and after the fire a still small voice.” 1 Kings 19:12

I just finished listening to the story with my students about Elijah, Mount Carmel, and his subsequent crash with fear and depression. I shared with my students that depression can happen to anyone, even someone who had literally just had the most amazing miraculous demonstration of God working in their lives… I hope none of them needed to hear that now, but praying it sticks so that later, when the hard times come, they remember that depression can happen to anyone and God is still there.

Well, today I heard a sermon that talked about the same story. I loved where he went with it. But I gleaned a few more insights that made the story even richer than before!

The first was that some scholars believe that where Elijah finds himself on Mt. Horeb/ Sinai is the exact same place where Moses was when he asked to actually see God. The cave that Elijah went to was the “cleft” in the rock where Moses went and God covered him with His hand, so Moses could only see His back. Of course there is no biblical confirmation for this theory, but it was a fun little possibility.

But a bigger insight was in was God tells Elijah. First he sends the wind. Then the earthquake. Then the fire. But God is not in those. Last comes the still, small voice.

When do we whisper? When is it OK to use a still, quiet, small voice?

When the person you’re talking to is very close. So close that sometimes your lips might even brush against their ears. This is how God speaks to us. He is so close that if we move towards Him we will bump into him! So close that we might feel his lips brush up on our ears. He is near. He is close. He is truly with us.

I loved this image! How had I not realized this before? Probably this is old news for you, though beautiful still the same. But wow, He uses the quiet voice to speak to us because He is already so close to us that nothing louder is necessary. What an amazing God.

The last thing I love about this story is that Elijah doesn’t get it (perhaps you and I can relate?). God asks why he’s there, and He complains that he’s all alone and being persecuted and life is just miserable… and then God goes through these grand displays before speaking personally to Elijah, whispering that reassurance of His presence right into his ear. Then a few minutes after that, when we would think that Elijah should now be inspired and lifted up and renewed, God asks Him again, why are you here? And Elijah gives the EXACT SAME ANSWER! Like, what in the world? Did you not hear anything God just said? Did you not feel God’s presence and power? Are you not inspired now and ready to take on the world?

Nope. Elijah is still feeling alone and persecuted and like life is still just miserable. Wow. But does God then reject him, complain that he’s not getting it fast enough, tell him to shape up? Not at all. God has the audacity to respond to Elijah as though he HAD just responded in an inspired, ready-to-take-on-the-world kind of way. He gives him directions on how to continue serving God, and expects he will carry them out. Oh, and He also throws in a few facts in that process to counteract the I’m-the-only-person-in-the-entire-world-who-still-loves-you mentality. Just for future reflection while Elijah is on these journeys to carry out God’s will. Just in case he’s ready to face reality later instead of keep wallowing in his self-pity.

Oh, our God. How merciful. How gracious. How trusting. How forgiving. He’s so good to us, so willing to work with us and use us. So there for us, even when we don’t see Him. Right beside us, so close we could touch Him.

Don’t forget to listen for that still, small voice in your own life today, this week, and always.

Because God is there.

Always.