A Whisper

Greetings,

The hustle and bustle of Christmas has finally past. All that is left is the after holiday shopping when everything hits the 75% off rack. After the pity party I tossed out about having a fake tree... I bought one on clearance. I know... I am such a sale out. But I saw this sleek stylish all white cedar looking tree that I thought would look stunning with all the black and red ornaments that I also found on the clearance aisle. Probably by this time next year I will have changed my mind or can no longer find the white sprig.

I wanted to share with you ....

I was doing some of my Bible readings and came across something that stood out to me. I love how scripture will find you when you need it. How I could a passage 10 times and then one day when I need it.... there it is and has a completely different connotation than last I looked.

But I was reading about Elijah. The great prophet of the Lord.

Here's the refresher crash course...

Elijah is the heroic figure who stands up to King Ahab, whose wife-Jezebel has introduced the worship of Baal into the Jewish Kingdom. In a "show of force" Elijah calls the Baal priest to have their God perform. When no such thing occurs Elijah calls on His God to prove His power. Which of course our God does. Those who witness the act declare, "Adonai, hu ha-Elohim." translation: "The Lord, He is God." And He alone is God.


This of course upsets Jezebel and to escape her wrath Elijah flees. Elijah flees and travels forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God. God questions why Elijah is there. He answers, he is alone and in fear for his life. the Lord then says, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord. Look, the Lord is ready to pass by."


And here is my favorite part:

"A very powerful wind went before the Lord, digging into the mountain and causing landslides, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the windstorm there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a still small voice. When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his robe and went out and stood at the entrance to the cave."


After his encounter Elijah is told to go back the way he came and God gave him specific instructions as to what he was to do next. There is more to Elijah story. But my focus is on my new favorite part.

When I read these words I felt the Scriptures, God speaking to me. I felt like these past few weeks.... these past months have been a whirl wind of commotion and chaos. Harry losing his dad. My family thinking we were losing my dad. Traveling back and forth. The trials of starting a new ministry. The morning of ending another. The reluctancy in forgoing our comfortable lifestyle for a habitat unknown.

Catastrophe after catastrophe. I do not know which ones are which? Which stresser is the windstorm or earthquake or what? I think the call to full time ministry must have been the windstorm that caused the landslide... after the windstorm came the earthquake. Literally. Moving me out of my house and comfort zone took an earthquake. And while in Greece we have experienced 2 earthquakes. One the week we arrived. On the day of Epiphany... I am not making this up! And the other about 3 months later.

Then after the earthquake comes the fire. And that has to be... our rough patch with our dad's. Harry losing his dad has been one of the hardest things in his life he has had to go through. The thoughts of losing mine rip my heart out. You think life runs smoothly? Try loosing a loved one. One that you think left this world too soon. Want to experience the fire? Lose a parent and look to God and ask why. Then question His decisions? Reconcile in your head how a God who loves us so much can allow such pain and despair to creep in and settle. Decipher how a loving Father takes your earthly father too soon. Or what we perceive as too soon. Want to walk in the fire, want to feel the all consuming heat from flames of disappointment and hurt. Ever turn to God and ask Him why? God, Why would you do this? To us?

But that's when I realized what follows the fire....

NKJV:A still small voice

NIV: A gentle whisper

NASB: A gentle blowing

NRSV: The sound of sheer silence

Regardless of which translation you use.... It's that still small voice of God. It's Him quietly talking to you after all the windstorms, earthquakes, and fires have passed. It's Him reaffirming that He is there for you. Through it all. After the storms have passed He is there. He has been there all along, but the chaos passes and we will find Him. waiting there with His reassuring whisper. The whispers of Hope and Love. The voice that has the ability to still and calm your worst fears. The worst storms that life can send your way are ceased by His whisper. the sheer sound of nothingness, but Him.

When we anchor ourselves in Him and let the winds blow regardless. When we hang on to His word and ride the landslides through the muck. When we build our faith on the rock foundations of Him that earthquakes dare to tumble. When we get burned by the fire and continue on. Pressing on because there is still something else out there. When we look past the fire long enough to listen to Him.

When we allow that still small voice to penetrate our very being. Into our hears, but soaking into our hearts. to the very depths of our soul. We have to come to the place where we can block out the winds and rains and fires and concentrate to listening to what god has to say. His calming voice will get us through. His whisper will dissipate any impending disaster that comes your way.

"A very powerful wind went before the Lord,

digging into the mountain and causing landslides,

but the Lord was not in the wind.

After the windstorm there was an earthquake,

but the Lord was not in the earthquake.

After the earthquake, there was a fire,

but the Lord was not in the fire.

After the fire,

there was a still small voice."

I Kings 19:11 &12

We get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life. Life's raging storms. I am thankful He sends us the whisper. The calming whisper.


Blessings to those hearing the still small voice,

Kristie