Spiritual Practices: Listening

Scripture Passage

1 Kings 19:9b-18

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. ¹³ 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?”

¹⁴ 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.”

¹⁵ The LORD said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. ¹⁶ Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. ¹⁷ Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. ¹⁸ Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”

Sermon Script

Last week, we looked at the story of Esther. Esther the wise, brave, and selfless queen. She fasted in a time of crisis. We saw how she made room for God and looked to him before she went to the king to save her people.

Today, we read the story of Elijah. Elijah was a great prophet. He appeared with Moses when Jesus was transfigured. Very capable individual. But we see a contrasting picture from that of Esther. He is far from calm and composed – but fearful and dramatic. He doesn’t go to God. God comes to him.

And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

1 Kings 19:9b

Elijah was at his lowest. He did his best to turn his people away from worshipping a foreign god named Baal. That angered Queen Jezebel – so much that she promised to make sure that she would see Elijah dead. Elijah ran for his life and hid in the wilderness. Before today’s passage, he even asks God to take his life. He was exhausted, lonely, frustrated, and afraid. You hear this in his response to God.

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.

1 Kings 19:10

We can understand Elijah. There are times when no matter how hard we try to do what is right and good, we don’t see much fruit. Rather, we get criticized, ridiculed, and misunderstood. Like Elijah, we feel like we are the only one who cares. We feel like giving up. We can’t help but vent to God.

Yet, how God responds to Elijah is interesting. He doesn’t mention any of what Elijah just said.

Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.

1 Kings 19:11

Wait for me, God says. Go out and wait until I come. If I was Elijah, I would’ve gotten even more anxious. He probably wondered, “What’s going to happen now…?”

How does God come to Elijah on that mountain? In the great and powerful WIND? No. In the EARTHQUAKE? No. In the FIRE? No.

…And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

1 Kings 19:12

God doesn’t condemn Elijah. God doesn’t blame Elijah for feeling the way he does. That’s what we sometimes expect God to do. Instead, God comforts Elijah with his quiet and gentle presence.

However, God doesn’t let Elijah wallow in his self-pity either. When Elijah tells him about his situation in the same way as before, God tells him—

Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus.

1 Kings 19:15

Elijah was at Mount Sinai, in the south. Damascus was in the north. By running away out of fear, he ended up in the south. Sort of like Jonah running to Tarshish. God was telling him to go back and finish what he had started. Not only that, God tells him what he should do when he gets back. There would be others who will be of great help to him. But more importantly, God tells Elijah an important fact—

Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.

1 Kings 19:18

Before, Elijah thought he was the only one left. How wrong he was! Elijah learns that there are 7,000 others like him who are striving to love and follow God.

The message God gave to Elijah on the mountain was not an order. It was a message of HOPE. It was a message that Elijah needed to hear. Contrary to what he had thought, Elijah was NOT alone. There were others who supported him. God was with him, providing for Elijah’s needs in unexpected ways.

In our own journey, we need this message of hope. We are constantly surrounded by the message of condemnation. Voices that tell us it’s not worth our effort. Voices that tell us to give up and stop caring. Voices that tell us that we are all alone. We even whisper to ourselves these kinds of things. They not only weigh us down, but distort how we see reality.

When we are down, tired, and afraid, God speaks the message of hope into our lives. God gives us strength through his word. God frees our thoughts from all the lies through his word. God helps us see the truth through his word. God’s word of hope restores our confidence.

Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

Psalm 62:5, 6

Turning away from the message of condemnation and listening to the message of hope – that is a SPIRITUAL PRACTICE. What we pay attention and listen to is very important. They shape us. There is so much noise around us. We can easily listen to all kinds of things that lead us astray. Unless we allow ourselves quiet moments, it can be very difficult to LISTEN for God’s gentle whisper.

That’s what Jesus did. He lived a very busy and hectic life. It would’ve been easy for him to let himself get swept away by all the voices in his life. Especially the voices that ridiculed him and criticized him. But he didn’t. Jesus prioritized listening for God’s voice in the midst of his noisy and chaotic life.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

Mark 1:35

During the week, allow yourself some quiet moments in each day. Moments where you can simply be alone with God. You can space it out throughout the day: once in the morning, once during the day, and once in the evening. They don’t have to be long. Focus on spending quality time, not quantity.

In your quiet moments, pay attention to your thoughts and feelings Recognize them. But don’t dwell on them. Share honestly with God what’s going on in you. That way, you can let go of what’s burdening you. Ask God to speak to you and let you hear what you need to hear.

Then listen. If you don’t “hear” anything right there and then, it’s okay. It doesn’t mean God isn’t speaking to you. As you continue your day, God may speak to you then. Keep your heart open and attentive. We listen not just with our ears, but with our hearts. I came across a fitting quote on a calendar this week.

I always told Him [God], “…I don’t know where to go or what to do, but I expect You to lead me,” and He always did.

Harriet Tubman

Even when you feel like giving up, God will never let you give up. God will comfort you and strengthen you. Like he did for Elijah, God will make sure you carry on and live your life to the fullest.