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. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.Then a voice said to him,
"What are you doing here, Elijah?"
-1 Kings 19:11-13
That story...is incredible. It has always been one of my favorites. And it woke me up this morning. And, as always, it's been teaching me things. One of those things being that, for whatever reason, God likes to wake me up like this a lot...(sheesh!) The other is that I have a lot to learn about PRAYER...
I was talking to Aubrey about prayer last night, and I remembered that I'm not too sure about it sometimes. I often wonder why I don't just WANT to talk to God more. It's not like He's boring...it's not like He's mean...and I know He's never absent...but sometimes, He does seem so quiet...
This is hardest when it's just after a storm, I think. Elijah knew well the error of looking for the Lord in the wind and the earthquake and the fire...it's not that God hasn't been in my storms, but those so inevitably demand my attention already. And I need Him in those...
For Elijah, a whisper came when it was probably the last thing he was expecting or even thought he needed...
But, it was a whisper. And it was a gentle whisper...
A whisper that drew him...
A whisper that drew him out...
A whisper that drew him to...
It drew Him out of his hiding-cave and to the edge of the exposed-mountain surface. And when he heard it, he covered his face and stood on the brink... I'm sure he was waiting for God to speak--something unmistakable, maybe something more powerful and loud than even the calamities before could measure up to! If I had been Elijah--I can just hear myself--"I better cover my face and not get too far out there...He's grabbing me with this gentle whisper...but I've been fishing before! Uh huh! I know how this goes! Well, good. It's probably gonna be pretty jolting, but heck, I'm used to it by now... Bring it on! OK. I'm...ready..." On goes the cloak, and I follow the whisper out...
Well, the thing I'd hear, and what Elijah heard, wouldn't be matching up to any such description... my fishing analogy would have fallen short. God did not yell louder, or jolt Elijah more than any of the natural disasters would have. And He did not clearly tell Elijah what He had to say to Him after all these crazy things had just happened. Actually, God did not "yell" or "tell" at all... He just... asked.
"What are you doing here, Elijah?"
What was he doing there???
Sometimes I wonder if after a storm, I expect to keep praying and hearing words from God that are blazing and jolting and that literally blow me over to next clear battle for Him... but then when they are not so unavoidable, when they are whispers that I could just as easily keep in my cave with me, I wonder if I do just that... keep in my cave...
BUT GOD (have I mentioned how much I love those "But God"s???)...
But God keeps whispering. Sometimes I wonder if it's just so that I will go to Him--go up to the mountain He's told me to stand on--for the sole purpose of teaching me that there doesn't really need to be a purpose...or it's a different purpose than I thought. Sometimes I wonder if prayer is not as much about purpose as it is about presence. Sometimes I wonder if I don't need to be yelled at or told anything by God as much as I need to be drawn by His gentle whisper. And sometimes I wonder if He doesn't necessarily expect me to always have requests or questions for Him but instead may just want to ask me something...
"What are you doing here, Jenna?"
What am I doing here???
"God, I heard your whisper, so I came out to be with you. I didn't want to miss you pass by..."
4 comments:
:) Amen, Jenna. I love the way God wakes you up with things like this...profound, yet necessary and simple in its own sort of way...
Lord, I thank you for Jenna. I thank you for her words of encouragement and love and compassion to those struggling around her. I pray that you always let her hear your gentle whisper; let her respond when it sounds as mighty as a roar, or be alright when she just rests in your silence. I pray that through others' words and testimonies that she can see through the Godsip that you are proud of her and that her whole self resonates with your majesty. I pray that you bless her through others as well and love on her always. Amen. :)
jenna, i never know how to respond to your bogs. they are always so deep and yet so obvious. like, God's talking, and he ask why your listening, so you say " cause i didn't want to miss you talk" amazing. most people don't realize how simple it is and they get lost in their conveluded plots on how complex God is supposed to be all the time. and they miss him talking.but i digress
its amazing to see what God has shown you. i'm proud to call you friend. and i'm pretty sure God is proud to call you His Child.
yup. he is.
and i'm mildly mad that aubrey beat me to commenting. but then again, she is mentioned in the post, so i guess i can't hold that against her.
...good. :)
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