We come expecting God to speak loud and clear…expecting a Him to speak through a “fire and brimstone” message…through something so loud and clear we can’t miss it!
Like a big boulder in the middle of the interstate when were going 80 miles per hour and hit it head on…that’s what we often expect when it comes to Gods warnings.
You know those times you are stuck in sin…and you know it…you are just waiting…waiting for that “lightening bolt” from heaven to come shooting out of the sky and shock you clear down to your toes and out of your apathetic attitude…but what about when it never comes…or at least not “that way”…what if it came and you already missed it??!! What then?
What about when He does not speak through the fire…or the thunder… or the earthquake…what if He goes totally against what where we think He is going…goes totally against what we thought He was doing or going to do?
What if He speaks through that “still small voice”, will we hear it? I mean after all we often expect the BOOM…but if it was a whisper…would we hear it?
And I am sure that ya’ll know exactly where I am going…you say “Oh Bethany you are gonna take us to 1 Kings 19,or maybe you forgot the exact place in scripture and thus you would say “you are taking us to the account of Elijah when he was on the mount and Jehovah Almighty passed by Elijah, but God was not in any of the “LOUD” things but instead it was the still small voice.
But before you tune this totally out, remember that it really matters not how many times you have read this…or how much “biblical knowledge” you have or how much Hebrew and Greek you know…none of that really matters at ALL to God but rather, that He speaks to you, and that you apply it! It does not matter how many times you have been through the Bible, but rather how many times it has been through you!! APPLICATION (how your life fits into scripture…what that looks like in real life) is EVERYTHING TO GOD (James 1, and also the parable of the sower! Remember God’s Word iswritten to you specifically…
And now folks we shall have a “Random bunny trail” with Bethy:
every time you open God’s Word HE SPEAKS TO YOU and it is WHAT HE WANTS YOU TO HEAR! Don’t lose sight of this fact, for the day you do is the day you stop growing…tis the day that church becomes just another “entertainment”…tis the day that Pastor’s sermons no longer “speak” to you, you could have the most BORING and dull and dry pastors speak to you…but the moment that he reads the Word directly GOD SPEAKS! And thus you CAN GET SOMETHING OUT OF IT!! Now that is not to say that if your pastor speaks his opinion that you will learn and grow…it is when he reads GOD’S WORD!
And this has been a “Random bunny trail” moment with bethy ;0) Smiles!
Anywho before you shut down and go into “auto pilot” remember that anytime you read the WORD GOD SPEAKS! : 1 Kings 19:9-13
9 “And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of Jehovah came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?
10 And he said, I have been very jealous for Jehovah, the 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.
11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before Jehovah. And, behold, Jehovah passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before Jehovah; but Jehovah was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but Jehovah was not in the earthquake:
12 and after the earthquake a fire; but Jehovah was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entrance of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?”
So it was not as what we would expect…we would expect the Almighty Most Powerful and Holy God, creator of heaven and earth to speak LOUD and CLEAR…with a display of might…but are left shocked that He spoke through that still (notice not a rushed thing..so unlike the way we often speak to others every day) small (not large..like He is) voice (not thunder…not the earthquake..but a voice just like you and I).
Remember the first time you read this passage… or had it read to you, like in Sunday school for those of you who have been “churched” your whole life. Remember what your first thoughts were? If you are anything like me you were like “Seriously?? I can’t believe that God was not in the thunder…or the earth quake…are you sure miss teacher that you got that right? Are you sure you are talking about THE GOD…the I AM? Because that’s my God and He is HUGE and I just don’t see Him choosing such a small way to speak..”
And often if truth be told…I do the same thing in reality! In fact here recently I fell back into some sin…and I knew I was headed the wrong way… knew that I was running…and if you know me well enough you are sitting there thinking… “Wait…Bethany! Were’nt you a counselor at a camp??!! Leading girls spiritually…and here you tell me that you were “in sin”??? Why would you do that?”
And the answer is yes I was counseling, but the amazing thing is God uses sinful people to get a hold of other sinful people! He uses those needing to be redeemed…to help bring others needing to be redeemed to Himself! He uses us despite ourselves! Anyway…here I was sliding back into a sin that I have struggled with for a LONG time…since I was 16 or 17…I have fallen in and out of the “outward” behavior of it, but it has been in my heart for the whole time. And to be quite honest its still there today, it is a daily struggle…sometimes even moment to moment.
Those of you who know me well…or who have read my blog know that I have struggled with the sin of an eating disorder (mis directed worship..pride…but you can read all about that in the note on here entitled “My sercret: or so I thought!”)
Anyways and this was the sin I was sliding so quickly back into…and I knew it. And I was expecting God to speak to me through something HUGE! But how He ended up getting a hold of me was far from HUGE!
Now before you stop reading and quit associating with me because I have gone “charismatic” on you… I want you to know that what I am about to tell you will not be some outrageous and ridiculous story about God speaking to me audibly from heaven. It was not that…your safe I promise! Anyway…
There I was at my home church after a long and trying week of counseling Jr. Highers. I had just finished packing up my dads computer and had crossed over to listen in on a conversation that a lady was having with my mother and another lady about all the struggles she was going through (health related) lately.
And as I stood there listening my heart went out to her, and I was burdened…but what happened next I was not expecting. As I stood there, I suddenly felt a very small arm wrap around my waist, and as I turned to look who was next to me, I was surprised to look into the face of June!
Now June is a frail older lady, she can barely hear anymore, and has been more faithful in coming to church since her husband passed away it has freed her up to come. And she always greets people…and tries her best to conversate although it is very very difficult with her hearing. Anyway she has NO idea whatsoever of my past…she does not know my struggle, so of course what she said next shocked me and rocked my boat.
“Honey” She says “You are getting awfully skinny…you are not trying to are you? I hope not”
I hesistated for a slit second…cleared my throat and threw on a smile ….you know the one that you throw on after you stole another cookie when you were only supposed to have one and mom asks “did you have another cookie.”
“No June, I am not trying.” I chuckled and the heat rushed to my face as I had just told a lie to the sweetest lady I know.
“Well good because we don’t want you wasting away to nothing…and what if you fell ill, where would you get the strength to fight?”
And that was it. She went on to ask about my sister in Kentucky
. And then we parted ways. I with guilt…her not even knowing that she had just been greatly IMMENSLY used of the Almighty God!
And you are probably thinking…”That was so short!” And my reply is yeah that was! Short, sweet, and to the point…so easily to be missed! Oh how easy it would have been to just have that fly by my face and not even take note! But it stopped me in my tracks!
God had spoken! What was just “small talk” with the Pastor’s daughter on Sunday morning…to be quite honest June would probably not remember saying that to me because it was so small and insignificant…but not to me!
Thanks to God speaking through June, I am now trying harder to fight! Striving with His strength to change! I have a long road to hall, but at least I am not where I was, and I have a 80 year old frail and “worthless” in most people’s eyes to thank for
Never underestimate our GREAT GOD! He might be trying to get a hold of you…and most likely it wont come in the way you expect…and so now you are thinking “well how do I now miss it?”
The answer to hearing the still small voice, will seem simple…but oh hard it is esp. in this microwave society where we are always rushing and want our answers NOW!
The way to hear the still small voice is to very simply:
“Be still!” “BE still and KNOW that HE IS GOD!”
He will speak how He chooses! Open your eyes! Be looking for God, for those Who seek Him DO FIND HIM! “Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you!”
So are you listening?
No comments:
Post a Comment