A Still Small Voice?

1 Kings 19:11-12  "The Lord told Elijah to “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."

      Elijah was in despair over Queen Jezebel’s dramatic threat to kill him by the end of the day. He was hiding in a cave and in need of substantial reassurance from God. God would eventually give it to him, but not in the way Elijah expected. The message wasn’t delivered with the drama and theatrics of Jezebel’s threat. It came softly, quietly and unobtrusively in a still small voice.  Even the message wasn’t dramatic. Basically, the Lord told him to get back to Damascus and do his job of anointing Israel’s new kings, in spite of Jezebel’s opposition.

       I think we can learn from Elijah’s experience since most of us have asked God to give us a sign, to speak to us or to open and close a door in times of trouble or uncertainty. Often, His answer, whether we hear it or not, is “get back to doing what you are supposed to do and quit worrying”.

      In the 2003 movie, Bruce Almighty, Bruce Nolan desperately sought direction from God as to whether or not he should keep going as he drove aimlessly down the highway. He cried out “Help me Lord, anything, just give me some kind of sign!”  While he was praying, a truck loaded with road signs suddenly swerves in front of him. The signs read Stop, Detour, Wrong way, Bridge out, Danger, Yield etc – some of them were even flashing.  The character is so distraught he does not notice the signs. He kept driving, only coming to a stop when he crashed.   

      Not long after watching that movie, I was driving down a road in the same state of misery that Bruce Nolan felt. I was acutely perplexed, frustrated, fatigued and disheartened.  I was venting to God with exasperated words and emotions. I passionately indicated how much I needed a break! I asked Him for grace, strength and some encouraging sign that these troubles would soon pass.  As I whined, I mean prayed, a car raced up on my left. It flew past and then whipped in front of my car. I quickly added his driving habits to my list of complaints. Then I noticed the car’s license plate. It read, No Frowns. I read it again and thought about it for a moment. The fortuitous timing made me flash back to the scene from Bruce Almighty.  I chuckled and concluded, “I guess I should smile. My life is not that bad.” I looked up to the sky and said aloud, “Ok, Lord, I got the message.”  I looked back down at the license plate, but the car was gone! Was it an angelic visitation?! I laughed about it intermittently the rest of my drive. A “still small voice” came to me on a license plate!  I gleaned two truths from that experience; 1) God wants me to rejoice always, and 2) if angels can drive cars they have no qualms about cutting you off.

       God never stops speaking to us – we stop listening.  He speaks to us through His Word, but only if we read it or meditate on it.  He speaks to us through the counsel of a friend, but only if we have taken the time to cultivate a friendship. He speaks to us through circumstances and events, but only if we are conscious of His sovereign control. He speaks to us through His Spirit, but only if we have not quenched or grieved Him.  Our question should not be, “Is God speaking?”, but rather “Are we listening?”