The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:11-13
Silence. It can be the most disturbing part of a life. When the noise cuts out is the moment in which every breath is heard. Every heart beat is felt, and all that is left is one’s own thoughts, thoughts that can control and manipulate are own views of ourself, of others, and of life. However, it is only in true silence that God can step in when we are the most troubled.
The story of Elijah is one that testifies to this. He was not only in physical trouble, with his life at stake. Elijah was most of all emotional trouble. The worry and pain in his heart weighed so strong that it became hard to carry on. I hope that none of you have ever known such pain, because that pain that Elijah was carrying was one that most people take to their death. Something Elijah was willing to do, but God stepped in. In the end, though, God wasn’t in the wind, the earthquake, nor in the fire. God wasn’t even in the whisper. God was in the silence, when all was still. God was there, and Elijah was ready to hear.
Sometimes, it take a storm to shake us and get us ready for what is to come. This storm can be anything: change, trials, hardship, and even fears can become the storms in our life. It is in these storms that God can become hard to hear and even harder to see. We must take the time in silence in order to hear the voice of God, even when we are going through the storms. Silence is what we need. Not only to see and hear God, but also to know that which we are moving towards in this world. Elijah could only know what direction to go after hearing God in the silence. Silence, though disturbing, can be life changing, if we allow God to step into our moments of silence and move us.
~ Pastor Jillian