God's Voice - Part 6
Scripture Reading - 1 Kings 19:11-13 KJV
11 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 brake 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:
12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?
Today’s lesson will continue to build upon knowing the “Voice of God”. In our previous lesson we set a foundation of Jesus, Thee Good Shepherd, being the “Voice of God” or we could say literally the “Voice of the Lord”. We concluded that if you want to know the “Voice of God” you must be familiar with the “Word of God” specifically recorded in the Holy Bible. In another lesson we learned how the Prophet Samuel learned the “Voice of God” with some guidance from his elder. Thus, many elders are set in the Body of Christ to help younger disciples discern the “Voice of The Lord”. We also spoke about Jesus speaking the “Voice of God” publically and whatever we hear publically through the minister of God has direct impact on our personal lives. We also discussed the “Voice of Lord” coming through a God Ordained/Anointed Minister. Many people look at the man or woman of God as a mere person instead of listening to what they are saying as an inspired minister of God. If we are smart we will examine everything we hear in the light of God’s Word and His Great Love for us. In a previous lesson we discussed the “Voice of the Lord” coming from the Presence of God in our midst, not so much as God speaking to you from a great distance in Heaven. God is always here (on earth) with you therefore you can hear Him in your heart when you are listening for Him. In this lesson we will teach a little bit about how to hear from God. We notice in today’s reference verses that a mouthful was mentioned. We (ihlcc) will not be able to expound on all the various gold nuggets but we can speak generally about a few. We will share some good (godly) principles about engaging with God to remind you that this should be common occurrence rather than (or opposed to) an uncommon event. Let us first give you some background information to keep the scripture in its proper context. Let it be said first that the Prophet Elijah was not having a good day when he cried out to God. Elijah was running for his life just prior to this encounter with God. In the very same chapter Jezebel (the Queen of the Children of Israel) sent a message to Elijah that he would be dead by tomorrow. One quick question is, “Why didn’t Jezebel do it right then?” If you can send a death filled message by one of her (Jezebel’s) servants why couldn’t you just send an executioner to take off his head? The fact is the devil will typically do more talk than action because he needs your full cooperation (your complete agreement) to execute his (death filled) plan. The devil needs for you to believe his lies and confess them as real for his lies to manifest in (take root in) your body or soul. Elijah didn’t agree with Jezebel’s word so God was able to intervene which saved Elijah spiritually, mentally and physically. Elijah needed to hear the “Voice of God” to paint a new image of God’s Plan on his heart to push out the fear of death. God’s Plan for the Children of Israel helped Elijah focus on God’s Word rather than losing his life by the hand of his enemy. With God if they are an enemy to you they are already an enemy of God because God takes care of His beloved Children and servants. We also read in verse 11 that Elijah was in Horeb the mount (mountain) of God. So we learn from that detail of the story that we should always go to God’s place to hear from Him because God is always home. In the Old Testament there were numerous places the man or woman of God went to seek God’s counsel because they knew His Presence was in that specific location whether the tabernacle, the temple, a mountain, etc… Today our Father and Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit all live in (abide in) our heart. Moreover, God living in your heart is great because you don’t have to travel across the country to hear from God. Yes, God is in your heart but you still must look in the Holy Scriptures to have good fellowship with God and a better understanding of God. The Lord uses the Holy Bible to express Himself and to establish the truth of who He Is and what He Is all about. Therefore, when seeking God start with looking for God through your understanding of the Holy Bible and keep in mind that The Lord Jesus and our Heavenly Father are right there inside of you all the time. God was with you from yesterday unto the end of tomorrow (forever, eternity included). Another thought we (ihlcc) would like to pass on is mentioned in verse 12 that “God is a still small voice” when He needs to talk to you individually. This means if God is projecting in “a still small voice” we must become still and small to hear from Him. To accurately hear God’s Voice you must be dialed into God’s Frequency of still and small. Being still is why Elijah came to the Mount of God because he could seek God without distraction. When we are still we can quiet our minds to properly discern the “voice of God” as opposed to listening to the wrong voice of the enemy or even your carnal mind that chooses to be ungodly. We also notice that the person seeking God must be small because “God’s Voice is small”. Small in this context means without a great demonstration but rather very subtle. Yes, in verses 11 and 12 there was a great strong (not soft) wind, an earthquake and a fire but the Lord wasn’t in the wind, the earthquake or the fire. This means we should not be distracted when seeking God and even though sometimes eye catching events are going on around us we must remain still and small to properly align with “God’s Voice” which is God’s Will for us. Another minister stated that being small is considering yourself small (showing humility) in God’s grand scheme of Life. Yes, ihlcc agrees, for how can we handle anything God is speaking to us when we operate outside of humility? Remaining small in your own eyes is always good and profitable because then we appreciate just how dependent we are upon God, our Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. We clearly see in verse 13 that God came ready to engage with questions rather than just telling Elijah what he ought to do next. Remember, our Faith Friend, God is always concerned about where your heart is at when you are in His Presence and that is why The Lord specifically ask Elijah, “Why are you here?” In other words what do you want to talk about? Yes God knows all things so The Lord already knew all that was going on inside of Elijah but since we don’t know all things The Lord will typically start at our level of ignorance and build up from there to increase our understanding. So remember come to God’s Word when looking for God. Position yourself to be still (not busy) when seeking God’s Wisdom also be small by looking for simple remedies (solutions) in all humility, not so much an earth shattering event. Be and remain humble because the God of all humility is pleased with His Children of Humility. Finally, expect some engagement with God not a quick one liner if you really want to see God’s Will more clearly. If the conversation seems to be on other subjects first that is totally OK because when God’s gets your attention He sometimes has to take you the long way while He enlightens your pathway. We can get a lot more out of God’s journey when we talk with God and learn from Him without trying to take God on the pathway that we think is best. God is more than capable to share the “Voice of The Lord” but we must be faithful to listen with an honest and open heart to be fruitful in the Kingdom of God in the Mighty Name of Jesus. Amen!