Elijah figured that a God as mighty
and powerful as YAHWEH would be revealed in the power of the world.
So, when an earthquake happened, Elijah thought God's voice would be
heard in the earthquake but it did not happen that way. Then a fire
appeared and Elijah thought that surely God's voice could be heard in
the fire but that was not the way it worked either. After that there
was nothing but sheer silence. No noise at all, just a silence
peaceful assurance that Elijah would be okay.
Elijah needed God's assurance that God
would care for Elijah even in the midst of the threat that Jezebel
had uttered against him. He told God all that he had done to bring
about righteousness in the land of Israel. "I alone am left, and
they are seeking my life, to take it away," Elijah told God. (I
Kings19:14c)
God listened to Elijah's complaint
and, I believe, understood what Elijah needed in order to feel cared
for. He needed to know that God knew what he had gone through and
that he was not alone. God's word for Elijah in this instance was:
..."all the knees have not bowed to Baal..." (I Kings
19:18b) Elijah was not alone in his quest to bring worship to the One
God of Israel back. There were others who would assist Elijah if he
needed them.
Sure enough as he went done the road
toward Damascus he met the one who would be his helper, the prophet
Elisha. Elisha was plowing with oxen when Elijah met him and threw
his mantle around him. Then, after making peace with his family, he
"set out and followed Elijah, and became his servant." (I
Kings 19:21c)
We all go through times of loneliness
and despair. Perhaps it is because of our ill health or due to
circumstances that are beyond our control and we think that no one
cares or understands what we are enduring. We may even think that God
does not care for us because we have not recognized God around us in
a long time. We may think that God speaks through the dramatic in our
lives and expect it to happen in a thunderstorm as the lightning
flashes or when the skies are threatening. Those circumstances could
speak to us, but more often God speaks to us in the quiet moments of
life when we have the time to really listen for God's voice.
God's voice is often heard in the
quiet working out of history such as when the wall of Communism fell
in 1989 and suddenly people who had been held captive by an
oppressive society experienced personal freedom for the first time in
many years.
God's voice is often heard in the
daily lives of ordinary people as we are around them. People quietly
doing their jobs in the world often have something to say that
encourages us and lifts our spirits, perhaps in the way they smile at
us or say something cheerful to us.
God's voice may be heard in the birth
of a child or a wedding or even at a funeral. God is present in joy
and in sorrow and there at times that those events make us slow down
enough to listen for God to speak to us.
God is still speaking, even in the
midst of tragedy. I am writing this on the day after our country
experienced the worst mass murder by a gunman in our history. Fifty
persons going about their daily lives were murdered by a person whose
own life was taken in the conflict also. God did not cause this event
to happen but God wept for those whose lives were taken by this act
of violence and hatred. And in the midst of the bloodshed and
confusion, God was present and speaking through the actions of
courage and bravery and love as humans helped other humans in need,
and as first responders worked diligently to save the lives of many
who were wounded.
God still loves humanity and God still
speaks even in the darkest of hours to reassure us that we are not
alone. God is with us. Thanks be to God.