“And he said, ‘Go forth and stand upon the mount before the Lord.’ And, behold, the Lord passed by and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and broke 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.”
I Kings 19:11-12
So often when He speaks, He whispers. . .and when He knocks, it’s gently.
“And, after the fire, a still, small Voice.”
Wouldn’t you have liked to have been there that day to witness the events described in today’s Manna—or to at least have some audiotapes of the conversation between God and Elijah there in the mountain (vv.9-18)?
From the very beginning of recorded history (Gen. 1:1) and throughout the Old Testament we find God speaking to man. In fact, it’s interesting that all of creation (except man himself) came into existence by God’s speaking (Gen. 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24). Only in His creation of Adam and Eve did He get personally involved—i.e., “hands-on” (Gen. 2:7, 21-22).
It’s equally interesting the afternoon times of fellowship they enjoyed what is described as “the Voice of the Lord walking in the cool of the day” (Gen. 8). This is a somewhat difficult euphemism to understand until we realize the Hebrew word “ruwach” is used there for “cool” and basically means “wind, breath, blast, exhalation, etc.”
Thus, we’re safe in assuming the first couple heard the Lord God speaking to them on the wind—whispering their names amongst the boughs of the trees or through the whipping sound the wind sometimes makes when it tosses the tall grass in a field to-and-fro. And, when we remember this same God also used other means to communicate with man in Old Testament days—dreams, visions, burning bushes, angelic messengers, prophets, etc.—we should not be surprised that He chose “a still, small Voice” to speak to Elijah that day. . .particularly after his having called down fire from Heaven just a few days before on Mt. Carmel (I Kings 18:20-40).
The question is: Does He still speak that same way today?
The answer is unequivocally “Yes.”
Too often we miss hearing His Voice because it equate it with the “sound and the fury”. . . the biggest and best. . .the powerful, most popular and prestigious. . .when, quite often, “He’s not in them” at all.
Did you hear Him whispering your name this morning, dear Pilgrim, when you awoke in the early morning hours? Or, did you see your awaking as simply a disruption to your “much-needed sleep” and complained over how tired you were going to be when the alarm went off?
Hearing His “still (Heb. ‘demamah’—‘quiet, gentle, calm, etc.’), small (Heb. ‘daq’—‘crushed, small, thin, lean, beaten into powder, etc.’) Voice” requires intentional commitment, concentration—yea, conscious “consecrated” concentration”—whose sole desire is communion with your dear Savior/Lord/Best Friend, i.e., “knowing Him” (Phil. 3:10).
By Tom Smith Morning Manna Dated July 28, 2009
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