“God Speaks to Elijah” 1 Kings 19:1-18

 

What comes into your mind when I say the still small voice of God? Often it is this scripture. The one of Elijah. 

But before we get to Elijah being present to the voice of God, we need to back up and figure out how we got here. Think of this like one of those statements that flash across the screen in movies or on TV that say “x number of hours before” or “y number of days before.” We need to go back in order to step into the full richness of this moment in scripture. 

Back in the times of Kings, both literal kings and the historical book of Kings, leaders were often paired with a prophet or priest. Think of Samuel and David. Those who were tasked with speaking truth into the lives of rulers, even when they don’t want to hear it. 

Except Elijah didn’t have the same relationship with the ruler during his time, King Ahab, as what Samuel had with David. Time after time Elijah had do things and say things that threatened his life. He had to tell Ahab that the reason the land was in a harsh draught was him. And his betrayl of God. 

Now Elijah has had another one of those moments. Only this time he is up against the King and his Queen, Jezebel. Jezebel did not know or worship God. Instead, she worshiped Baal. And Elijah had just been part of this grand gesture from God where God caused fire and rain. But in the act, the priests of Baal had been killed.

So Jezebel is without her honored priests. And she is deeply embarrassed. And all of that is coming out as deep anger and threats - specifically that she is going to have Elijah killed in one day or less.

Enter today’s scripture. Elijah is literally on the run for his life. Originally he took a servant with him, but at some point he left him, and finds himself to be totally alone. And in that moment he prays that the Lord would take his life. Perhaps it was a prayer raised in fear. Perhaps it was a prayer raised in frustration - he was simply doing what the Lord had called him to do, how in the world did he end up here? Perhaps it was a prayer raised in sorrow - feeling like he had failed God. But after he laid it all out to God, he fell asleep. 

Can you relate to any of these prayers? Maybe not asking the Lord to take your life. But maybe you have prayed prayers of fear or frustration or sorrow. And after you poured it all out to God, it doesn’t means that the situation itself has changed, but you feel like you have laid it down enough to sleep. To find some sort of rest. 

But Elijah was awakened in this beautiful and unique way. An angel showed up to minister to him. Telling him to get up and eat. Remember, brothers and sisters, that he is in the wilderness. Where do you think that food came from? God had provided. 

God was not just providing food but strength for the journey as well. For Elijah is about to head out on a spiritual pilgrimage of sorts. For 40 days and 40 nights he walked to the mountain of God. Not knowing where he was going, but only knowing that the Spirit of God was compelling him to keep going. And when he reached Mount Horeb, he found a cave and went inside.

Only this voice comes to Elijah asking why is there. Why is he in this cave? Why is he at Mount Horeb? Why isn’t where he was sent to be - with King Ahab?

And probably all of the words that Elijah has had ruminating within him for the last 40 days worth of journey come tumbling out. I’ve done my best, Lord. I’ve done what you asked me to do. You put me in this impossible situation - ministering to a stubborn people who keep killing anyone who tries to lead them back to you. So why am I here? To escape death. 

But instead of answering Elijah’s complaints, God gives a simple instruction. Get up and go stand at the mountain. I’m coming to pass by you. 

And suddenly all of this stuff happens. An earthquake. A wind storm. A blazing fire. And God wasn’t present in any of theses earth shattering events.

Then there’s a gentle whisper. That which some translations calls the still small voice. And that’s where God showed up.

And again Elijah was asked what he was doing there. And he gives the same response as before, but we can imagine that by now his tone has changed. He knows that he is standing in the presence of the Lord. No longer is it full of zealous complaints that bubbled over from his journey. Now you can imagine its a whisper coming forth from his voice as well. A holy hush. And God sends him back. Not back to die. But back, like Samuel, to do a new thing. 

So what does this scripture have for us, here and now today?

I think within this scripture passage we find an invitation. An invitation to not assume that God only speaking to us in the big earthquake moments in our lives - though God surely is there. An invitation to listen in the quiet for the gentle whisper of God. 

When Elijah heard the silence - that is when he recognized that God was drawing near so he went out to be in the presence of God.

How many times have we been there, friends? How many times have we asked where God was in the midst of a situation only to realize later that God was there the entire time? How many times have we completely missed God’s presence because we expected God to show up the way we wanted or in our timing?

So often we let expectations, what we think or want or hope is going to happen, block us from seeing that which is right in front of us. Church, God is not beholden to our expectations. God is going to show up how God is going to show up and it is our responsibility to catch the movement of the Spirit and follow. 

More than a few times I have had folks tell me that they wish that God would just show up and speak like God did in the times of the Bible. But when we step back and look at the stories found in the Bible, time and again its about God showing up, not in the expected ways but in the unexpected ways. Moses was not expecting God to be in the burning bush. Noah did not expect God to tell him to build an ark. Abram didn’t expect to be told to leave everything behind and go to a land that God was going to reveal to him along the way. Sarah didn’t expect to be pregnant in her 90s. Joshua didn’t expect to be the leader tapped to take the Israelites into the promised land. And when you fast forward to the new testament, folks certainly didn’t expect the Messiah to show up as a tiny, helpless baby who was born in a stable.

We need to set aside our expectation in order to embrace what God is doing right, here right now.  The question is are we really listening? Or is there something in our heart that is blocking us from hearing and responding to the call of God in this time and in this place? What does God want to do in and through us if we only set aside our own expectations and instead embrace the movement of God? Amen.