He is Near
I’ve experienced God move in big ways in my life. He’s led me out of some hard places, answered my prayers for close community, healed people, presented me with great opportunities, and so much more. In all of those moments, I’ve been reminded of just how powerful, faithful and kind God is. But what about in the mundane? In the seasons that feel like maybe nothing really big is happening in your life. Is he still present in the small things, too? I want to share with you what the Lord spoke to me recently through reading his Word, and I pray that it moves you as much as it did me.
The other morning, during my quiet time, I was reading in 1 Kings 18 and 19. Let me paint the scene for you. There was a man named Elijah who was a prophet of the Lord and followed his commands closely. At the time, this man named Ahab was the king of Israel and he followed the commands of a false god, Baal. There had been a drought in the land for years and, in the third year of the drought, the Lord tells Elijah to present himself to Ahab and he will send rain on the land. So, of course, Elijah obeys him. They meet and immediately start blaming each other for the troubles of Israel. Elijah asked Ahab to summon the people from all over Israel to meet him on Mount Carmel and to bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. When they all gathered, Elijah basically called everyone out asking, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” The people said nothing in regard to his comment. So, 1 Kings 18:21-24 says, “Then Elijah said to them, ‘I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire – he is God.’” As you may know, or can guess, Elijah’s bull was the one that burned up in a fire, proving that God is Lord. Once the people saw this, they fell to the ground and cried out “The Lord – he is God!” Elijah had then commanded them to seize the prophets of Baal, which they did. And then days later, as promised, God sent rain upon the drought. Elijah ends up fleeing into the wilderness because he starts to fear that people are going to kill him for killing the prophets of Baal.
So, now that you know some of the backstory, I want to share with you what really struck me and stirred something inside of my heart. In the wilderness, Elijah has an interaction with the Lord. He tells God that he has been zealous for him because of what the Israelites had been doing to the covenant of the Lord and his prophets. God tells him to go stand on a mountain in the presence of the Lord because he is about to pass by. 1 Kings 19:11-13 says this, “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.”
There is so much beauty in these scriptures! You see, God didn’t need to be in the big “disasters” of this passage because Elijah already knew that God could perform miracles and create big moments. God was in the whisper because Elijah needed to be reminded of his closeness and that he shows up in the small moments, too. In order to hear a whisper, you must be really close to someone. And that’s where Elijah was – close to the Lord. He was so close in fact that he had to cover his face, creating a posture of humility and reverence to God.
I don’t know about you, but that’s the kind of closeness I want to experience with God! It can be so easy to only notice him when he’s performing miracles and answering our big prayers. But this is your reminder: He’s in every single moment, big and small! He is near! It brings me so much joy and freedom to know that God desires to be close to me. He wants to spend time with me, that’s why he shows up in the whispers. I pray that we get to feel God in that way today, and that we prioritize seeking him in every moment.
Challenges:
Seek the Lord. In the big and small moments of life, God is there. Seek to experience him in every part of your day.
Make time for his Word! This is so important for our relationship with God. When we are reading our bibles consistently and spending time with him, we can draw near to the Lord, learn more about his character and experience revelations about how to enhance our lives and our faith.
Be bold in your faith. In the same way that Elijah was sure the Lord would set fire to his bull and make himself known to the prophets of Baal, be confident that he will show up in your life and will always prove to be faithful.
Prayer:
Lord, we praise you for who you are! For your kindness, your love, your power, and your gentleness. Thank you that you are consistent in our lives, whether we seek you or not. You are always there! I pray that we would make it a priority in our lives to spend time with you and to draw near to you. To seek your face and experience your closeness in all that we do, just as Elijah did. Thank you for freedom found in your son, Jesus Christ. May all that we do be done in your name and for your glory! In Jesus’ name! Amen!