The text we looked at today was the text when Jezebel a false prophetess was attacking Elijah and undermining, usurping, attacking and killing Israel's spiritual leadership. In II Kings 19:11-13 we find Elijah exhausted, disillusioned, and hiding in a cave. "And He said, Go out and stand on 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 sound of gentle stillness and] a still, small voice. The first thing we learn here about Elijah and ourselves is that God isn't in most of the "DRAMA" we face in life. Mountains crashing, windstorms, earthquakes, and fire destroying everything around us aren't necessarily "acts of God!"
Now I love Signs and Wonders! I love when the Holy Spirit surprises us. However, most of the time, when major events happen, everyone wants to know what God is saying because they think these are earthquakes, windstorms, and fire may be God speaking to us. But, in our text the scripture says, God was not in any of these events. Too many people in our time think that "Signs and wonders" are the norms of our Christian faith. So they become "Signs and wonders" seekers or as some have reffered to themselves. they are "God-Chasers." Running here and there for the thrill of another euphoric experience especially when life gets tough. But God isn't in signs and wonders all the time... signs and wonders often come to confirm the Word Of God. What this text demonstrates to us is that God wants to speak to us in the Quietness of our lives. But most of us are so pulled into our hand held devices, our computers at work and home, and now on demand tv, news and instant access to our online community of friends we have no time to quiet ourselves down and just be alone in our man-caves and positioning ourselves to hear that small still voice.
Do you remember the story?
- Elijah had defeated the prophets of Baal in the great contest on Mt. Carmel (1Kings 18).
- Elijah then informed King Ahab that the drought God had brought on the land would end.
- Queen Jezebel became enraged at what Elijah had done, sent a message to him, and Elijah fled.
- Elijah ran to Beersheba, went into the wilderness, and asked God to take his life.
- Elijah fell asleep, and God’s angel ministered to him, giving him food, drink, and rest.
- With renewed strength, Elijah traveled 40 days and nights to Mt. Horeb (Sinai), where he lodged in a cave.
- There God questioned him and Elijah lamented that he alone stood faithful to God.
- God called Elijah to stand before him as he passed by on the mountain, and then there was a wind, an earthquake, and a fire.
- After this display, when Elijah heard “a still, small voice.
I'm the first one to say, I love music. I love contemporary worship with smoke, lights and loud rock sounds with symphonic expressions. But, hearing God in this context can so often be difficult. Loud music can drown out the "whispering of God's voice." Over the last 15 years, I enjoyed the priviledge of teaching, ministering and investing my life in Hillsong and C3 churches helping, encouraging and planting contemporary churches all around the globe. But, I have always been frustrated with the emphasis that my ministry was faced with. People depending on me for the show... signs, wonders, and especially giving them a Word from God as though God had called me to be a fortune teller. God never called me to do that. In fact, much of the prophetic speaking given today borders on witchcraft and divination. Now I've enjoyed being able to assist and speak into some very critical areas and moments in people's lives when God has shown me to do so, however, God has always wanted me to teach people how to hear God for themselves. We all don't need a old testament style prophets where you go to them to inquire of them what God wants us to do individually - we need to develop the ability to sit quietly and hear God for yourself. My wife just commented as i am writing, "maybe The Holy Spirit wants you to do the dishes!" Yes, I probably need to do that but i don't need the Holy Spirit to tell me to do that. i just need to get up and do it and sit around hoping the Holy Spirit will speak to her to do it? Lol.
Listening to the Holy Spirit is vital. It can be a matter of life and death. Gary Irving was a young Australian, just outside of Melbourne in an area called Werribee, was wandering the along the streets on the Bourke Street Mall one Friday night. Little did he know that God had marked him for eternity that night. I was nvoted by the Richmond AOG church to go street preaching with them on the Bourke Street Mall. While we were preaching, the Holy Spirit pointed Gary out to me and told me to go have a word with him about the gospel. As I approached him, suddenly, the Lord gave me four "words of knowledge" about him. (1) He understood what we were preaching because at age 7 he had committed his life to Christ n a Baptist church; (2) At age 12 he had gone to a youth camp and had received the Baptism In The Holy Spirit; and (3) at age 16 he had gotten offended at the church he was attending and left it and been hanging out on the streets wth kids who didn't know God; and finally (4) God spoke to me the names of the last three girls he had sex with. As I spoke to him and told him what God had spoken to me, he broke down and wept and re-committed his life to Christ. He returned to the very church he had left.. and became active in leading his friends to Christ. About a year later, Gary was killed by a hit and run driver while riding his bike to a friends house. Now what would have happened to Gary if I hadn't been open to active listening to the Holy Spirit and been on that street that night.Only eternity will reveal the significance of that evening.
Do you know that God can and will speak to you directly if you open yourself to hearing his voice? So how do you learn to listen to his voice like this? Well, first you need to bath yourself in God's word. The scripture says, "My sheep know my voice." Are you one of his sheep? Then you know his voice. When you read the word of God, specific verses will jump out at you as you read it. The Bible has a way of addresses us, correcting us, and teaching us about ourselves and our need to change the way we think and act. The psalmist declared, "thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee." The Word of God speaks directly to our sinful desires and calls us to repentance. If we are unwilling to address the areas he speaks to us about when reading it - he will stop speaking to you any further until you correct yourself.
God speaks to us through nature. Romans 1 says that God has made clear his invisible qualities in nature so that none of us are without excuse. Moses was spoken to - through a burning bush. This bush was not a mysterious bush in the middle east. Burning bushes are common plants in the middle east. The mystery of this bush that burned but was not consumed is not the mystery of the story. The point is that God used the bush to get Moses' attention and from there God speaks to Moses. God often speaks to us through natural events. However, remember, as we began above, God was not in the windstorm, fire or earthquake with Elijah. In other words, even though God can speak to us through nature - his best form of communication is the still small voice. You know that voice...
The still small voice is the inner knowing what is right and wrong. The still small voice often speaks to us - making known to us that we should or shouldn't move in a certain direction. It's the thing in us that causes us to stop ourselves, hesitate, that gut feeling that something isn't quite right... or on the other hand that this is the right thing to do. You know what I'm talking about especially, if you're a follower of Jesus. One sure sign is that uneasiness within when the crowd is going in one direction but you sense you can't follow that crowd. When we ignore this prompting of the Holy Spirit and just go ahead, doing want we want, whether it's that secret sin or just not following through with what we know we should be doing - it's sin. The scripture declares to him who knows to do right but does it not - it is sin. It's destructive and could cost someone else eternity like Gary. I keep Gary Irving's photo in my office to remind me how important it is to learn to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit and instantly obey it.
Throughout the Bible we learn that God speaks through prayer, his word, stars, dreams, prophecy, nature, and that still small voice. My prayer is that we all learn to hear his voice and obey it. Someone else's future may depend on it.
