TEXT:

‘I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears’ (Psalm 34:4).

It’s wonderful when God speaks to us personally. Sometimes His voice comes unexpectedly when reading the Bible and a verse or passage speaks to us just as if God was there in person. When He does that it makes us feel really special.

Other times we may be facing a crisis or need a specific answer. How thankful we are that God said, ‘Call to Me and I will answer you’ (Jeremiah 33:3).

From Adam and down through the ages, God has always wanted to talk to us. One of the names of Jesus is, “The Word of God”. When we read what Jesus said and did, it’s little wonder we hear His voice. Sometimes as a comfort, other times as a challenge, correcting and directing our lives.

Reading again about Elijah’s experience on Mount Horeb (See 1 Kings chapter 19), there are three points I want us to consider which will help when we are in need and want to hear God’s voice.

1. Desperation

Elijah was on the run and needed answers. Why do our emotions fluctuate so wildly? A few days earlier Elijah had been fearless and full of faith in confronting King Ahab and the idolatrous prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. The three and a half year drought ended when fire came down from heaven; all the people cried out, “The Lord, He is God”; and the rain came as confirmation of God’s blessing once again.

The false prophets had been dealt with and the nation had a fresh start but Queen Jezebel had other ideas and threatened to kill Elijah. Instead of confronting her, believing that God would protect him as He had done during the drought, Elijah ran for his life. He abandoned his servant and went into the wilderness, not expecting to ever come out alive. An encounter with an angel gave him fresh strength as he headed for Mount Horeb. Elijah needed answers but could God say anything to help him recover from such a low ebb?

Perhaps reading this you too are in a desperate state, caused by the pandemic or some other reason? You can look back to days when you were on fire for God and everything was wonderful but today is a different story.

Be encouraged, God still wants to talk to you!

2. Demonstration

Elijah knew that Mount Horeb (Also called Mount Sinai) was the place where God had spoken to Moses and the children of Israel after their exodus from Egypt. It was there they received the Ten Commandments. If God had spoken then would He be willing to do it again? Elijah soon found out because the first thing God said to him was, “What are you doing here?” When God speaks like that we have to give Him an answer and Elijah recounted the sorry tale of woe he had been repeating to himself all along the journey there.

• There was the dramatic

God told Elijah to leave the mountain top cave he was sheltering in and there followed dramatic and powerful manifestations, similar to when Moses was there: a great strong wind; an earthquake and a fire; each so awesome that Elijah shrank back into the cave for safety. Powerful demonstrations indeed but God did not talk to Elijah through any of them.

Sometimes we run to hear certain preachers whose ministry demonstrates the power of God, hoping to hear God for ourselves, but we come home disappointed and empty-handed. We see others getting God’s blessing but not us!

• There was the delicate

After the thunderous noise of those powerful demonstrations Elijah heard a still small voice. The margin in the Bible refers to it as a “delicate whispering voice”. Immediately Elijah heard it he came out of the cave, he knew God was speaking to him. What was God going to say? It was this delicate, whispering voice that Elijah responded to.

God knows how to speak to us, what to say and how to say it, in order to get our full attention and the right response. He will not come down heavy with guilt and condemnation, although we often feel we need it because we have been condemning ourselves enough already. Instead He will come with fresh vision and direction to take charge of our lives once again.

3. Continuation

King David cried out, ‘Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God’ (Psalm 42:5 NIV).

God could have accepted Elijah’s resignation there and then but chose to invigorate him with fresh vision. Once again he would fearlessly confront the ungodly kings Ahab and Ahaziah.

When it came to Elijah’s departure from this world, God had a much more glorious exit in mind rather than the loneliness and obscurity of the Sinai desert. He would ascend into heaven in a whirlwind accompanied by a fiery chariot and horses. Things worked out totally differently as to how he had expected, all because he heard God’s voice.

In your desperation start thanking the Lord that He wants to and will speak to you. Jesus promised, ‘My sheep hear My voice’ (John 10:27). God will answer if you genuinely want Him to speak to you. Just leave how He will do that to Him but rest assured He knows what will get your attention and cooperation.

Leave the talking to God but when you hear that delicate, whispering voice, put on your listening ears, for He will have something to say to you. Answer God like Samuel did, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening’ (1 Samuel 3:30 AMP)