QUITE A START
Well, 2011 has come in with a roar! As I write this to you, I'm staring out the window of my home office looking at a pile of snow some 6-8 inches deep! I love snow—just not ice. As a child, I remember making snow cream, but we always had to wait until the second or third good snow
because we were told that it wasn't good to eat the first one because it was “full of dirt” (I'm no
scientist, so I have no idea whether or not that's true, but that's what we were told). And, of course,
the number one rule of making snow cream was to never use discolored snow...especially yellow!
I loved going outside at night and listening to the snow fall. That's right…listening to it fall. That's a
fairly foreign concept in the city or suburbs, because there is always noise that claims your attention.
But out in the country, late at night, there was nothing but silence. It seemed that everything was
asleep—either for the night or for the winter. And, if you listened carefully, you could hear the
snow gently landing.
A QUIET START
Is that what you need this year? Do you need some silence so that you can hear the still small sound of the voice of God speaking to you? A similar need arose in the life of a great man of God named Elijah. Elijah had prophesied that there would be no rain upon the earth, and there was a great drought on account of the idolatry of the people. Then, the Lord told Elijah to challenge the prophets of Baal and Ashera to a 'showdown' ,if you will, on top of Mount Carmel. After the spectacular triumph of God over the prophets of Baal and Ashera listed in 2 Kings 18 and the subsequent slaughter of those false prophets, Elijah finds himself threatened by the queen. He flees for his life, and in chapter 19, he is found on Mount Horeb.
It's here on Mount Horeb, far from where Elijah was serving—in fact, one might say 'in the wilderness'—that he encounters God. However, Elijah learns something of God that we would do well to learn, and that is in the midst of your pain, suffering, discouragement, and even desperation, the voice of God thought of as thunderous can actually be gentle and subtle. Make no mistake—God can be loud when He wants…remember Sinai? But when we're hurting…or even running, it is often through the gentleness of His quiet voice that our attention is drawn.
GOT QUIET?
If you're looking to hear the voice of God because of your current situation in life, stop looking for the thunderous blasts or the lightening flashes. Get alone with Him—perhaps in the wilderness somewhere—and wait for Him to speak to you through His Word. Just like the freshness of new fallen snow, His Word will comfort you, clean you, and rejuvenate you for the journey before you.
Shalom!
Tom
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