9 And the word of the LORD came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” 11 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. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
-1 Kings 19:9-12, NIV
In a moment of utter desperation, the prophet is waiting on the Lord. Waiting for the Lord. Waiting in the presence of the Lord, not entirely certain what form that “presence” will take.
Will God’s presence be found in the great wind? No, not the wind.
The rattling earthquake? No, not the quake.
The roaring fire? No, not the fire.
Rather… the Lord’s presence is found in the subsequent silence, in the sound of a gentle whisper.
At this point in this season of covid-tide, you may have reached some point on the spectrum of desperation… which means you may be waiting on the Lord. Waiting for the Lord. Waiting in the presence of the Lord, not entirely certain what form that presence will take. As you wait, the stresses and worries of covid-tide may be crowding out the silence, the whisper, the “still small voice.”
If that’s you… I’d like to lend you a prayer:
Lord… calm the wind of worry that swirls around me. Still the ground that seems to shake under my feet. Quench the fire of fear in my heart… that I may hear your gentle whisper. Amen.
Pastor Candy
Wait on the Lord, friends, and remember:
Our God is bigger than coronavirus.
Our vision is bigger than coronavirus, too.
We are people blessing people.
We are Wesley Church.
Want to know more?
- Learn about our church and its ministries: https://wesleychurch.com/
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- View our recent messages: https://wesleychurch.com/sermon-message-on-video/
- View previous devotionals: https://wesleychurch.com/pastor-candys-devotionals-2/
