Dave's Diary

Daily Reading: 1 Kings 19:1-18

Successfully crying out to God to send down fire from heaven as a sign of His presence and power as the One True God (1 Kings 18:30-38) should have left Elijah on an absolute spiritual high. One would expect that seeing the gathered people of Israel falling prostrate in response and crying, ‘The Lord – he is God! The Lord – he is God!’ (18:39) would have blown him away spiritually. And, as if that wasn’t enough, his intercession for an end to a lengthy and crippling drought had also succeeded (18:41-46). What a moment. What a success!

But, as 1 Kings 19 begins, we find Elijah in the depths of depression and fear. Rather than turning to God in repentance after such power-signs, Queen Jezebel, the politically influential and spiritually toxic queen of Israel, had threatened to employ her royal power to end Elijah’s life. His highest moment seemed to have backfired and brought him crashing down.

In this dark moment, Elijah flees into the wilderness. But this flight is not only in fear, it is also in honest desperation for God. Almost instinctively, it seems, he flees to the deserted silence and solitude of the wilderness to draw near to God. Beautifully, God responds by drawing near to Elijah. First God ministers to him through an angel to restore his physical strength (v.5-8), and then God ministers to him spiritually. God shows Elijah His power and glory in the mighty wind, earthquake and fire. Then God meets Elijah and ministers to him through the surprising manifestation of a gentle whisper.

Centuries later, God the Father would minister to Jesus on a mountaintop too (Matthew 17:1-13), drawing near to Him in the cloud of glory and with those beautiful, loving words: “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”

Consider the possibility that God may be drawing near to you today to minister His refreshing love and power, and that this ministry is far more likely to come in a gentle whisper of intimacy, than in fire from heaven, an earthquake or a rushing wind. Like Elijah and Jesus, I encourage you to seek out the quiet place of personal connection with God, and to listen for that gentle whisper throughout the day.

Lord, please whisper Your restoring love and grace to me today. I trust that even the gentlest whisper of Your love will be enough to drive away all my doubt and fear. Amen