Lessons in the Life of Elijah: Elijah and the Still, Small Voice

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

After forty days, Elijah had finally reached Horeb, the mountain of God. Although his faith was being restored, he was still in a very fragile place. His heart was filled with questions, and he deeply wondered about his future.

That night, when he was sleeping in a cave on the side of the mountain, he heard the voice of God. “Elijah,” God whispered, “what are you doing here?”

Elijah could not contain the emotions that had been tearing at his heart. With tears streaming down his cheeks, he poured out his complaints to God.

“Lord, I’ve done my best,” he whimpered. “Yet your people have rejected your covenant, destroyed your holy altars, and killed your prophets. Lord, I am so afraid that I am the last righteous person left, and now they’re trying to kill me.”

“Elijah,” God replied, “come out of your cave, for I am going to visit you through the manifestation of my powerful presence.”

As Elijah waited, his whole being was trembling with anticipation. At that moment, a howling wind struck the mountain with such force that whole rock formations were shattered.

Despite the force of the winds, Elijah knew intrinsically that God was not in the storm. Then the whole mountain began to convulse as it was shaken by an earthquake. For all the quake’s power, however, there was no sense of God. When the fire came, it was as if the whole mountain began to glow with radiant heat. God, however, was nowhere to be found.

Then, Elijah heard the whispered voice of the One he loved. What the wind, quake, and fire had not been able to do, God’s voice did do, for Elijah came out of his cave.

What lessons can be learned from Elijah’s miraculous encounter with God?

First of all, as you will find later in the story, God was unwilling to answer Elijah’s questions until he came out of his cave. It is no different for you.

Until you are willing for God to lead you out of the spiritual cave of unbelief and discouragement in which you have been hiding, God will not give you the answers and fresh direction that you need to follow Him.

Second, God did not speak to Elijah through the storm, the earthquake, or the fire; He spoke to Elijah in a gentle whisper. This is an important principle for your life as well.

Many times, Christians make the mistake of expecting God to come to them through some miraculous sign or incredible divine event. This expectation can even blind them to the fact that God is already speaking to them through the words of Scripture and the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit.

In my own life, I have found that when God speaks to me through the Holy Spirit, it almost always comes in the form of words that are quietly spoken within my conscious mind. Although the words of Scripture are the final authority in my life, I have also learned to deeply trust my perception of God’s voice.

May God give you the grace to discern His voice in the midst of the storms you are facing.

© Copyright 2005 by Jim Laffoon