God Speaks

9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.
And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
10 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken 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."
11 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. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
1 Kings 19:9-13

Once I felt seriously betrayed by a leader whom I otherwise respected and had a very high regard for. I struggled with whether or not I should continue working with him. I was practically a right hand man to him such that leaving him meant also leaving huge responsibilities behind. I was frozen in indecision.

Then the LORD spoke. He sent me a man who knew nothing about my situation nor the decision I was struggling with. This man said, “I awoke from sleep and God seemed to be telling me to talk to you. He said that when the man on top is a problem, then the LORD’s blessings stop flowing right there. Which reminded me that once I had a similar problem with a pastor. I left the church. It seemed the only right thing to do.”

I was astounded. But then again, it wasn’t the first time in my walk with the LORD that he has spoken. From day one he was at it. The time was ripe so he had my unbelieving fingers open my dad’s Bible to Psalm 69 and there had me read about my life described in detail. I dropped to my knees and repented. I was a believer since.

Yet, just as Elijah missed God’s message in the wind, earthquake, and fire that preceded his gentle whisper, I wonder how many times the LORD has spoken and I was probably hearing but was NOT listening.

God speaks in unexpected ways. Yet he always does so in light of his Word, in light of eternity.

One thing I know, when we desire to hear the LORD even in unexpected ways, it will change the way we look at life. It changes the way we respond to life.

From our church bulletin this Sunday:
God created each one of us because he wants to spend eternity with someone just like us! God is constantly reaching out to us and speaking to us, even if we don’t always perceive it. He wants us to hear his voice.

Do you desire spiritual growth in your walk with God? Ultimately, spiritual growth is determined by the believer’s increased capacity to hear God.