Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: 1 Kings 19 and Psalm 119:1-32

Elijah had his great moment of triumph atop Mount Carmel. The LORD had given the miraculous sign of fire from heaven and had proven once and for all that Baal was no god at all. Rain had come to the land after a long drought and, as he ran ahead of Ahab’s chariot, Elijah was probably imagining Jezebel falling to her knees in repentance and confessing Yahweh as Lord. So when she turned on him with murderous threats instead, his hopes were dashed, and a deep despair engulfed him.

Elijah fled south to Beersheba in fear and despair. And although we’re not told that God led him to go there, while he slept under a broom bush the Lord sent an angel to minister to his physical needs. The God who is near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18) drew near to Elijah. When Elijah fled onwards to Mount Horeb (also called Mount Sinai) God drew near again. The conversation they had feels so familiar to me. I suspect this conversation happened inside Elijah’s head. He sensed God’s question. He “thought” his answer. He sensed God’s answer and God’s invitation to come outside and encounter His presence. When God draws near to us today, we shouldn’t be surprised if He comes to us “internally”. As the God who dwells within Christian disciples, why would He not ordinarily speak from within? That kind of communication should be completely normal to us.

In a similar vein: Once outside the cave, God’s presence is surprisingly not manifested in a mighty wind, earthquake or fire, but rather in a gentle whisper. After the glory of Mount Carmel, Elijah probably looked for God in dramatic manifestations. Certainly, God sometimes comes in powerful signs, but He usually appears in far less dramatic ways. When the thunder fell silent, the earth was still, and the wind was hushed, there was a dead calm and out of the stillness there came what the Hebrew calls “a voice of gentle silence,” as if silence had become audible. And God spoke.

Heavenly Father, please draw close to me today and speak Your gentle words of comfort, hope, encouragement and direction. I need Your guidance. I need Your strength. Come to me in the gentle silence of my thoughts and prayers, and guide my mind and heart in Your ways and Your word. Let Your thoughts become my thoughts, and cause Your will to shape mine, today and always. Amen.