The Still Small Voice

I Kings 19:12 – And after the fire a still small voice. (KJV)

During the reign of King Rehoboam, the once mighty kingdom of Israel split into two kingdoms (read I Kings 12:16-20). The largest was the kingdom of Israel, comprising of ten tribes, with their capital in Samaria. The other kingdom was the kingdom of Judah, comprising of the remaining two tribes, with their capital in Jerusalem. Many kings ruled over both these kingdoms. Some were good, who followed the Lord with all their hearts, whereas others were evil, hardening their hearts against the LORD GOD and worshipping idols.

One such king who ruled the land of Israel was King Ahab. He was a very wicked king, insomuch that the BIBLE even says that he was wicked more than all the kings who ruled before him (I Kings 17:30 – And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him. KJV) In the following verse, we see how he committed further wickedness after he married Jezebel. She caused him to sin greatly in the sight of the LORD.

It is in such a terrible situation that GOD rose up a man to stand for Him; a man who would carry the words of warning and judgement to His people. Elijah was that man.

Elijah was sent by GOD to the backslidden people of Israel. He was a mighty prophet of the Lord. The LORD never allowed even one word that came out of Elijah’s mouth to fail. HE fulfilled all that Elijah warned about.

Even though Elijah was a prophet greatly feared in all of Israel, he still had to face untold sufferings and dangers which the wicked rulers and the people sought to do to him. He had a lot to complain about - there was a wicked king named Ahab who was ruling Israel; the LORD’s people had sold themselves to idolatry and witchcraft; and Ahab’s wife, Jezebel was persecuting the prophets of the LORD. To add to all his woes, Jezebel had even sworn that she would cut off Elijah’s head very soon.

Being so vexed about the various problems that beset him about, he begins to get discouraged. Though Elijah was a mighty man of God who walked in the ways of the LORD, we see that the sufferings he faced made him consider retreating from the challenges that his ministry brought. It is in the anguish of the moments that he prays to the LORD to take away his life.

I Kings 19:4 – And said, it is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.

He had lost all his strength and all his courage to such an extent that he deemed that the sufferings he faced were no better than the prophets of God who lived before him. He had even lost all his mental strength. There seemed no purpose to life, other than hiding and running away from the sword of Jezebel which sought for his life, day and night. To meet with it and to lose his life, he did not desire; to flee from it, he no longer could. He was at a crucial junction…

And all he wanted to only desire and pray about was that the LORD would take away his life, and thereby end his hardships…

However, what God had in mind for him was something very different.

Elijah was part of a movement that GOD Himself was stirring up. And he had the lead role to play. He was the hero in the army of the LORD and GOD would never have thought about letting him die a loser’s death. He was a man for whom GOD had chalked out a mighty plan. And the LORD was determined to take him through it.

The weakest link in a mighty army is a man who has lost his mental strength and courage. Such a man can easily be overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the battle itself. He cannot be entrusted with a mission to accomplish. His fears and his discouragement could even become contagious for the whole army. This man then becomes a liability and not a warrior.

Elijah was, sadly, in the same predicament.

And GOD is forced to bring about a deviation in His plan…

This weakest link has to first be strengthened in his mind. He has to first rebuild his intimacy with GOD before he can be entrusted with the great challenge of playing the hero’s part to perfection. He needs to first be fired up.

And GOD set about doing just that…

Objective #1 – Strengthen Elijah

In I Kings chapter 19, from verses 5-8 we read how GOD accomplished this objective.

Reading these verses we find that Elijah was a broken man, now sleeping under a juniper tree. To this discouraged prophet, an angel was sent. He gave Elijah the food that he had to eat. Later, in verse 8 we read that Elijah journeyed in the strength of that meat for forty days and forty nights till he reached Horeb, the mount of God.

And there unfolds the next step in GOD’s plan …

Objective #2 – Reconnect with Elijah

For a weary man, who was so discouraged, Elijah has been strengthened physically with the meat that GOD had sent him. He journeyed a long way to reach the mount of GOD.

The LORD was now satisfied that His prophet was now strengthened physically. And now He can proceed to fulfil His second objective. Elijah had to reconnect with GOD. He had to reaffirm his commitment and his ministry, entrusted to him by GOD. Only the can he be fit to play the great role that GOD had in store for him.

Now that Elijah was alone with the LORD, the LORD begins to talk to Elijah.

Solitude is the best way a man can reconnect with his Creator. The LORD will reveal His purpose concerning a man’s life, only in the deepest hour of his intimacy with Him.

I Kings 19:9-10 (NKJV)

9 - And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10 - So he said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”

We read the conversation that GOD had with Elijah. This was what GOD wanted Elijah to tell him. This was what He had in mind to hear from him, before He could reveal His next step. But unfortunately, Elijah had mourned and pleaded for his life to be taken away, instead of laying out his problems and grievances before the Almighty Himself.

We need to learn from this, that in our moments of pain and grief, what GOD wants us to do is, to spend quiet moments with Him, pouring out our problems, and not pleading with Him to take away our lives!

Now that Elijah has freed his mind from the pain that beat him about, the LORD begins His mighty work.

I Kings 19:11-12 (NKJV)

11 - Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces 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.

We now read how the LORD shows the power of His might to Elijah. And yet, the LORD Himself was not in them.

We may face diverse situations and circumstances in our lives. They may bring with them untold suffering and grief. They may rend our hearts. They may even rend our lives. Living thereafter, may have lost its meaning. But dear reader, cheer up! The hardest part in all this is, to spend your tears in the loving presence of your Father; that may even seem the unlikeliest thing to do in those moments of pain, but that is where you can renew your energy. It is only in the presence of your Father and in His presence alone, that you can receive the comfort, the peace, the solace and the guidance that you need; and not anywhere else.

The latter half of verse 12 is one of the most beautiful paths of Christian living. The true spring with living waters that can heal the broken heart. The source of true comfort is in hearing the voice of the Creator alone.

And Elijah was learning just that…

The Amplified Bible describes this very beautifully. It says -

And after the fire [a sound of gentle stillness and] a still, small voice.

It is now that Elijah truly begins to know the LORD who called him. His search for His Maker has now drawn to an end. Hearing that voice left no doubt in his mind, that this was whom had had come for! This was the voice of his GOD, his Lord and his Maker!

Once again the LORD begins to talk to Elijah (I Kings 19:13, 14). This time the LORD talks to Elijah, not to reconnect with him, but to reveal to him His plan.

Objective #3 – Mission: Redeeming Israel

The reconnected Elijah is now a mighty weapon in the hand of the LORD. Now that he had found and known his LORD for himself, he could now be used to play the role that GOD had desired him to play for a long time.

The battle is now at hand… And the heroic warrior is being briefed about his Captain’s Battle-Plan…

Reading on, you can see for yourself how that the LORD unfolds his plan. (Read it here!)

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Dear friend, you might be reading this, having faced a lot of hardships and pain in the circumstances that have come across lately in your life. Worse still, it might even seem to you that there could be no more purpose in your living. You might feel that you are being a liability, and not the person you had dreamt yourself to be.

But cheer up! There is hope! All is not lost!

Just like Elijah, the only step that you need to take now, was to spend quiet moments with GOD. It is in the outpouring of the heart’s grief that Elijah rose up from his ashes. It is in the tears of the heart that Hannah had her first son (read I Samuel 1:9-18 ). Many men and women of GOD have taken the same course to discover for themselves a stronger and a more intimate relationship with their Maker.

Just spend a few sincere and solitary moments walking with GOD, and you can see the difference that it will make thereafter!

For every problem; for every grief; for every sorrow; know that, the true answer lies in His Presence and with Him only. So go to Him who can comfort and guide thee, and He will never fail thee! Hath He not promised? He will never fail. What He has promised, He will do.