If you had the opportunity to read the bulletin article from last week, we thought about the prophet Elijah. Even though Elijah had witnessed God demonstrate His power in amazing ways (1 Kings 17:1ff, 17:17-24, 18:20-46), when Jezebel threatened to take his life within twenty-four hours (1 Kings 19:1-2), he totally fell apart. He ran, left the country of Israel to flee to the nation of Judah, went by himself a day’s journey into the wilderness, sat under a tree, and prayed that the Lord would take his life (1 Kings 19:3-4). When Elijah encountered this trial, he absolutely hit rock bottom because, in the midst of his pain, he did not think about all of the phenomenal things that God had done for him in the past. He allowed his fear and emotions to drive out the memory of what God had done for him in the past. As a result, instead of remembering, trusting, and triumphing, he spiraled, was hurt, and ran. When we continue to read this story, in 1 Kings 19:5-13, we find another idea that helped Elijah overcome this trial in his life.
God supplied Elijah with time to rest and food to eat (19:5-7); immediately following that, Elijah began a journey to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God, which also goes by the name Mount Sinai (19:8; cf. Ex. 3:1). When Elijah arrived at Mount Horeb, he went into a cave and spent the night there (19:9). After initially speaking to Elijah (19:9-10), God invited him to step outside of the cave and to stand before Him because He was going to pass before Elijah (19:11). Elijah felt absolutely alone (19:10). As we have already mentioned in this series of lessons, knowing that you are never alone and that God is always with you is something that we need to understand and trust. God planned to help Elijah do that very thing.
Remember, Elijah had seen God work in unbelievably powerful ways. When God told Elijah that He was going to pass before him, Elijah more than likely expected God to appear to him in a way that demonstrated great power. First, a great and strong wind passed before him; the wind was so strong that it tore into the mountains and broke big rocks into very small pieces, “but the Lord was not in the wind” (19:11). Second, a powerful earthquake took place, “but the Lord was not in the earthquake” (19:11). Third, a fire passed before him, “but the Lord was not in the fire” (19:12). Think about how powerful those three things are and the devastation that they can cause; the presence of the Lord was not found in any of them. After the three powerful forces of nature passed by, Elijah heard the sound of “a still small voice” (19:12). When Elijah heard the still small voice, he wrapped his face in his mantle and stood in the entrance of the cave (19:13); it was in that moment that the Lord spoke to him and told him exactly what to do (19:13-18).
What do we learn from this story? We know that our God is more powerful than we can even fathom. We understand that the Creator of the world has the ability to act in unbelievable ways. Oftentimes, when we go through situations that are difficult and painful, we expect God to act in big ways. We expect Him to clear away our pain within just a few moments. We expect Him to resolve our conflicts within a single day. We expect God to clearly work in His great and awesome power. When we ask God to show up in the midst of our hardships, we expect Him to appear with the power of a strong wind, earthquake, or fire. He is certainly capable of that and perhaps even does it sometimes. From this text, we can see that in the midst of our trials, instead of looking for God to act in big, powerful ways, we sometimes need to look for Him in the sound of a still small voice. If you do not see God working in big ways, try to look for Him in the small, seemingly ordinary details of life. Try to see God in the smile of a friend. Try to see God in small acts of kindness that you witness throughout the day. Try to see God in an encouraging word. Try to see God in the sunshine of a beautiful day. In the midst of your trials, realize that God is capable of acting in amazing ways. But many times, we need to listen for the sound of a still small voice. As Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Do you want to triumph over the trials in your life? Look for God in the details of life.
-Tyler Alverson
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