Always By Your Side

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

 

1 Kings 19:12

 

Read the preceding verses in 1 Kings 19:11-12, “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; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice” and you learn something very interesting about the grace and the mercy of God.

Elijah has been faithful in doing what the Lord has called him to do and he ends up threatened and heads out of town until one night Elijah finds himself in a dark cave…all alone. Have you ever felt like you were in a dark cave all alone? If so, you are not alone, ever! Here in chapter 19 when God asks Elijah why he is there in the cave it’s not as if God is wondering why he is there, God is asking the question in bringing correction to Elijah’s life. God is pointing out to Elijah that he isn’t where he’s supposed to be. Elijah is running away from and not standing firm in his convictions or even more importantly, in what the Lord has called him to do. Elijah was on a pity potty. It’s easy for us to do exactly what Elijah did when we get our eyes off the Lord and focus instead on our circumstances and ourselves.

Elijah did what many of us do or have done when life doesn’t go as we had hoped or planned it would. We quit, we run away, we go into hiding in a cave as it were. Verse 9 reveals that God is with Elijah even when Elijah enters into the darkness of the cave. That is good news for those of us who have found ourselves in a dark place. God is right there too. 1 Kings 19:9 states, “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?” Just as the Psalmist has declared, where can I go from your presence, where can I hide from your eye? The answer is quite simple, nowhere! The word of the Lord came to Elijah in the midst of the cave, at what seemed like the darkest hour of his life. As dark as it seemed, God was right there beside him. That’s good to know, beloved, that when you and I go through our own dark days, God is right there with us, right by our side.

Notice again what God tells Elijah to do. He instructs him, “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; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire…” Elijah watched as the Lord passed by in the terror of the wind and in an earthquake and in a fire and yet Elijah isn’t moved by the power of God in nature. Elijah is touched by the presence of God when God reveals Himself personally to the prophet in a still small voice. The world looks for signs of God’s power when in reality what God wants to most is to reveal His presence in a very personal way.

The bible is the voice of God and tells us that the love of God draws a man to repentance, and it’s true. God wants us to know Him personally in every situation and circumstance we face in this life. Did you know how we respond to our circumstances reveals what we really believe about God? Are we trusting God or do we feel betrayed and abandoned when things don’t go our way? Jesus promised that if we would come to Him that He would never leave us nor forsake us. Elijah learned that God was always there by going through the trials in his life and you and I will learn God is there for us the same way too. God does want to reveal Himself to us, and He will as we walk in obedience to His will. Sometimes the problem in our spiritual journey is we know too much. We know God can do whatever He chooses whenever He chooses but we get frustrated when it doesn’t happen in the way we think it should or when it should. Our faith becomes our problem. Instead of trusting God we question Him.

As chapter 19 comes to a close Elijah learns what God would have you and I know too. God’s plan for this world is not dependent upon us. God is Sovereign, He is in total control. God has kept in reserve seven thousand who have not bowed down to Baal and Elijah didn’t even know it. God is in control, and you can trust Him to complete the work He has begun, both in the world and in you! Walk by faith today, and don’t judge your Christian life by the experiences or the manifestations. Judge your life by the presence of God, and your awareness of Him throughout the course of your day. Seek Him and talk with Him and walk in His ways, and most of all listen for that still small voice. To many Christians in the world today are focusing their energy on trying to discover the purposes of God and the power of God being manifest and all the while missing out on the best part…the very presence of God in our day-to-day living.

Yes, beloved of God, life has its mountain top experiences along with the valley low ones too, but as Elijah found out the most awesome feature about our God is that He desires a personal relationship with us and when we open our heart to Jesus we begin to know God is with us all the time in the highs and the lows.

 
“Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works which You have done; and Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.”

Psalm 40:5

 

I LOVE YOU!