“A Still, Small Voice”...the Wayfarer 2/5/14

“A Still, Small Voice”
2/5/14

“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:

And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.”

(1 Kings 19:11)

God has always accomplished all things he has set out to do.

Sometimes those things manifest themselves in an obvious show of His power, but far more often it is manifested in many other smaller ways.

Keeping the opening in context, this passage about Elijah, comes after having shown both Ahab and the Jewish captives that God was God, and that Baal was not, through an exhibition of that power, resulting in the execution of those false priests that deceived all into worshiping a false god.

For this, Jezebel, the queen, took out a contract on his life, in today’s parlance, and forced him to flee in fear for his life.

As he fled, he made a stop and attempted to tell God that he had accomplished what was required of him and asked that he be allowed to die rather than continue to endure the persecution of those about him, only to find God had other plans, and would not be ignored.

His journey was long, and his strength would be taxed, had not God provided sustenance and the guidance of an angel which eventually got him to the destination intended, Horeb, the mount of God.

When God asked him what he was doing there, he responded:

“And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of Hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life to take it away.
(1Kings 19:10)

Despite having shown the power of God to a section of the captive Jews, and their captors as well, he still held misgivings because of the sinfulness of his people who had put him in the position of being an outcast, sought by both captor and Jew alike because of their own sinfulness.

How like the society today that hears the word of God, and not only ignores it, but despises both it and those who are chosen to deliver it!

How like too many of the chosen, past and present, is the initial reaction of Elijah who expected to find God within the great signs given before finally showing Himself to that prophet through something far smaller!

Many still expect guidance through some grand display of God’s displeasure with those they are supposed to reach, just as Elijah searched for God in that wind, and the earthquake, and the fire.

All of these were merely precursors to that still small voice that finally led Elijah to actually listen to what God had to say!

It is that still, small voice, so often ignored, so often unnoticed because of a lack of willingness to listen, that still whispers the desires of God, to any and all who would take the time to listen!

“And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it but the sign of Jonas the prophet.

 For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of Man be to this generation.

 The queen of the south shall rise up in judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the Wisdom of Solomon; and behold a greater than Solomon is here.

The men of Nineveh shall rise up in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and behold a greater than Jonas is here.

(Luke 11:29-32)

The signs being sought by most today, have already been given, and are still being ignored by most.

Many look to the larger things, over which no control is given to man, and continue to pursue that control, that will never be given them.

The still small voice, which would lead them to the things over which they do have control, is ignored, and the things with which they need be concerned are ignored along with it.

I have stated before, and state again, that salvation is not a collective thing, until it has been accomplished as an individual thing.

We complain and rant about much within our society, and most rightly so.

There is, however, a need to look first at the cause of the disease instead of only the symptom itself, as should any good physician.

Any disease, that of body, or that of society, has a cause that must be recognized, and called for what it is, before any healing treatment may be given.

In the case of society, that disease begins within its people, before it can infect the entire populace of that society.

It is the individual who must be reached with the cure, before the cure may be effective within that people.

The disease I mention here is, simply put, SIN.

It goes uncorrected, because it is not recognized for what it is, only because of the failure to address it, in fear of being ridiculed, or as was Elijah, cast out, and persecuted to the point of death.

As long as this fear exists, the disease will only spread wider and deeper, as it has done so well already.

God will eventually excise this disease Himself, but until He does, it is the function of those “healthy cells” still left, not only to remain healthy themselves, but to protect others from that infection.

This is NOT just the function of the few preachers truly making an attempt at amplifying that still small voice, but is also the function of parents, teachers, any mentor who exists, who sees, recognizes, and would see the still reachable reached, and the still teachable taught, before the infection sets in and it is too late to effect that cure.

That cure is still available, is still the same as it has always been, and has not been rendered any less effective by the passage of time.

It began with the ministry of our Lord and his proclamation to:

“Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

The cure, that begins with the individual, and that only then may come to a nation or society, may only be found through His requirement of redemption through repentance.

For those “healthy cells” it begins only through: being that which you profess to be, and showing it though the life you live, praying only what you mean, and truly meaning what you pray, not for public acclamation, but for the will of God to truly be accomplished on this earth as it already is in His heaven.

It begins with forgiveness, instead of condemnation, for condemnation causes that still small voice to retreat from those facing only that condemnation, without first being shown the love required for that condemnation to have effect.

It begins in that love, required of us by Christ, in meeting the requirement of all Christians, not just His preachers, to take a stand and be unafraid of being called a zealot, unafraid to call Christ, Savior, before friend and enemy alike.

Failure to do so is denial, and denial will not be accepted by my Lord.

It continues, in the requirement of the Great commission, given us by Him, to go into all nations teaching what He taught, whether they accept it or not, whether they persecute us for it or not, because to do less is to dishonor the commitment we make by profession of even the word Christian.

I close in prayer, that all listen closely for that still small voice that would lovingly whisper to each of us, if only allowed, heed what it says and follow its lead wherever it may take you.

As for me, I remain that same simple sinner saved by grace through faith that I became, only by hearing and heeding that still small voice, still listening through the confusion of the noise on the battlefield to which I have been called as soldier, and still hearing it above that confusion, with its promise of victory for those who follow it.

2 Timothy 1:12 ¹²For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Amen and Amen
the Wayfarer