The Still Small Voice

In the film world there is a formula for script writing that most classic films tend to follow. This formula outlines the roadmap for what has been deemed good story telling. One section of the screen writing road map is referred to as the "dark night of the soul." This is the moment in the movie, usually following the climax, where the main character experiences a personal crisis that sends them on a downward spiral of questioning everything they knew to be true in order to respond to the rising conflict (whether internal or external) in the story. This section of the film (although unknown to the character experiencing it) is a turning point. This moment, although usually seemingly hopeless, is the activating agent for change in the course of the story.

"And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God. There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?' He said 'I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.' 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 tore 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 the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?'" 1 Kings 19:8-13

Welcome to Elijah's "dark night of the soul." Elijah was a prophet of God who lived during the reign of King Ahab in Israel. He is known for confronting idolatry and injustice and fighting for the sole worship of the one true God, Yahweh. Not long before this passage in 1 Kings 19, Elijah had gone against 400 prophets of Baal and won, calling down fire from heaven. Elijah was also responsible for predicting a drought, multiplying a widows oil, and raising her son from the dead. At the end of his life, Elijah was literally carried away in a whirlwind and a fiery chariot. Needless to say, this man of God had a pretty decent grasp on the power of God. However, in this moment he seems hopeless and God seems quiet. How did he get here, and why did the Lord allow it?

Immediately following his calling down fire from heaven episode with the 400 prophets of Baal, Elijah was confronted by Jezebel...

"Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah saying 'So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.' Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life..." 1 Kings 19:1-3

After running from Jezebel, Elijah was distraught, scared, and not sure how much more he could handle. He finds himself under a broom tree in the wilderness where an angel gives him rest, food to eat, and a jar of water. I can relate to this. Sometimes when I feel like all hope is lost I really just need a nap and a snack. Thank you Lord for being in the simple and mundane human moments of weakness!

After a good nap and a snack from heaven Elijah continues his journey in the wilderness to the mountain of God (also known as Mount Sinai). He shares with the Lord of the state of his heart and the pain he feels over his current situation. The Lord's response? "Go out and stand before the me..." This is where we pick up in our original text.

And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind and 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 the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?'" 1 Kings 19:8-13

This is purely conjecture on my part, but if I had to guess, when the Lord instructed Elijah to go and stand before Him, I imagine Elijah was anticipating some incredible act of God to happen before his eyes once again. Remember, this is the man that raised a dead son, predicted droughts, and called down fire from heaven. Not to mention he was standing on the edge of the mountain where the fire of God descended in front of the Israelite people in the wilderness (the top of which is still covered in ash to this day). All around him were signs and proof of the power of God. However, in this moment, Elijah isn't met by the power of God. Instead, he is invited in by the still small voice of his Heavenly Father. Elijah was so accustomed to looking for God in dramatic manifestations of His power, but in this moment his senses were being tuned to a different channel. The Lord had obviously shown up in powerful ways in Elijah's life but I believe the point of this moment was to show Elijah that just as much as he served a powerful God, he served a deeply personal one as well.

I believe this is a trap many of us can fall prey to if we aren't careful. We desire the miraculous, are in awe of the power of God, and want nothing more than to be used by God in a mighty way. None of these things are wrong or sinful - God is a powerful God who has and does and will continue to show Himself in power. However, I believe we are in danger when we are so consumed with experiencing the power of God that our ears become too over saturated with the noise of the wind or the earthquake that we are unable to hear His voice. Friend, His presence is the thing. He is the prize. What He can do in powerful displays and miraculous moves are beautiful outpourings of His character but they are only a part of who He is. He is also meek and gentle. He won't beg for our attention but he will continue to whisper to our hearts as we search for Him. I believe we tend to get caught up in chasing the power of God to fulfill our own needs rather than realizing that intimacy with Him is what leads to the outpouring of His power, not the other way around.

I grew up in a fairly charismatic church culture. Throughout my childhood I witnessed powerful outpourings of God's spirit. In my life I have seen prophetic words unfold, witnessed God's healing power, and been undone in a room when the manifest presence of the Lord entered. Because of these experiences, as well as what I believe the Bible says, I am a firm believer that the gifts of the spirit and the power of God are still in operation today. However, recently the Lord has been challenging a mindset I adopted somewhere along the way that I believe is a trap set for many believers by the enemy. Without consciously realizing it I had adopted the mindset that the amount of the power of God (miracles, prophecy, healing, etc) that I experienced determined how spiritually mature I was in any given moment. Somehow I had come to believe that me witnessing or being a part of those things somehow meant I was more spiritual than the next person. Hello, pride.

You see, I believe this is the trap many of us can fall prey to if we aren't careful. We become so fixated on an experience that we forget true relationship is found in the quiet moments with our Father. Charles Spurgeon stated this beautifully... "It is to be lamented that the most of professors obstinately cling to the fatal error of looking for displays of power of one kind or another. I hear that a certain church is seeking for a very clever man: she thinks that God is in the wind... That still small voice will be hushed and silent, while the boastings of your wisdom resound like a howling wind or a thunder unaccompanied by rain." We must be careful not to become so fixated with displays of power that we diminish the sound of His still small voice.

While studying this topic I couldn't help but think of a child playing hide and seek with their parent. Whenever the child is struggling to find mom or dad in a game of hide and seek they may start to hear a quiet "pssss" from the other room... leading them in the direction of mom or dad. In a similar fashion I believe the Lord whispers to us along our journey. And each time we follow that voice we are met by our Father, ready to reveal a new part of who He is to us. Friends, I believe this is the whole point. Our walk with the Lord is a pursuit of a Person. I believe desiring the gifts and having hunger for a powerful move of God is a beautiful part of the journey as well, I just think we must be careful to not chase God for what He can do but rather for who He is.

Whether you find yourself in a season of experiencing the manifest power of God or a season of more quiet, less flashy moments with Him I just want to encourage you with this - our God wants to be known by you. These ebs and flows of seasons are about His heart to reveal more of Himself to us. Don't buy into the lie that you are more or less spiritual because of the gifts you experience. As Romans 12 shows us these gifts are gifts of grace - us experiencing them has little to do with our merit and everything to do with His grace poured out over us. And, although different, the quiet outpouring of His presence when we are in seasons of deep study, prayer, and even solitude is just as powerful for the life of the believer as miracles signs and wonders. I would encourage you that, no matter the season you find yourself in, challenge yourself to quiet the noise long enough to hear the most beautiful sound in all of heaven and earth... the sound of His still, small voice.