Welcome to Day 15. for one of our short powerful devotions from the 31 Bible Verses About Practicing The Presence Of God. This short devotional is based on 1 Kings 19:11-13.
Read 1 Kings 19:11-13.
" Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire [a]a still small voice.
13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Are you familar with the story of Elijah the prophet?
He is a character that is worth much study. He had a passion for God. Just before we meet Elijah in 1 Kings 19:11-13, he had, had an amazing victory against the pagan prophets of Baal. Elijah was God's representative in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of Ahab from 875 to 852 BC. Ahab and his wife Jezabel had led the nation into deep worship of Baal. Jezebel isn't Jewish, but Phoenician, and fanatically promotes the pagan fertility god Baal and his female consort Asherah. She personally supports 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah (1 Kings 18:19). Ahab has systematically killed all of God's prophets that he can find. So Elijah the prophet declared a drought and has been in hiding for years.
Then comes the big turn-around, the big showdown! Elijah challenges Ahab to a public contest on Mt. Carmel to see who will accept a sacrifice by fire -- Baal or Yahweh. The 450 prophets of Baal slaughtered a bull and cut it up. They lay all the pieces on the wood but did not light it. The contest was to see who the real God is. If Baal is the real God, he will light the fire underneath the sacrafice.
The 450 prophets of Baal prayed all morning and afternoon but Baal did not answer them. Then Elijah builds an alter and sacrifices a bull on it. Immediately, God's fire fell on the sacrifice and consumed it, even the stones of the alter! All the people immediately fell to the ground and acknowledged Yahweh as the true God. Elijah slays the false prophets, and then calls on Yahweh to end a three year drought.
So what happened next?
Why did Elijah run to Mount Sinai?
Jezebel had learned that her favorite religion has been discredited and her prophets killed, she threatens Elijah with death. Elijah runs for his life, all the way south to Beersheba, in the southern desert of Judah.
Why would Elijah who had the previous day made absolute fools of 450 prophets of Baal, and then personally slain every one of them, suddenly allow himself to become so intimidated by the threats of Jezebel? Most biblical commentators point out that Elijah responded in this unbalanced way because he was exhausted.
Join me below for a short devotional and we will discover how God refreshed Elijah. We will discover how God speaks to Elijah in a still small voice. We will learn how God hid Elijah in the cleft of a rock while His wind, earthquake and fire passed him by. God was not in the wind, earthquake and fire but He was in the whisper! And join me in prayer at the bottom of the post too!
Short Devotional: God Was In The Whisper
God speaks in whispers. God spoke to Elijah in a whisper and He speaks to us too in His still small voice.
I have a tiny bit more of Elijah's story to share with you. It is too good to leave out. Elijah journeys into the desert all alone. He was exhausted and dishartened and he asked God to take his life. Elijah really thought he was no good and would be better off dead.
1Kings 19:4-5.
"But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”
5 Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.”
Poor Elijah! The man was exhausted and God knew it. So he refreshed him. God sent an angel to care for him with food and then Elijah went into a deep, refreshing sleep.
Take note of these verses because God loves you just as much as He did Elijah. God knows your circumstances and He wants to encourage and refresh you in them. God is El Roi, The God who sees you.
Are you exhausted?
Do you feel all alone, misused, missinderstood and maybe mistreated?
When we are overworked and exhausted, our circumstances may lead us to have overwhelming feelings.
Take some time out for yourself. Carve out time in your busy schedule to rest and sit in God's refreshing presence and listen for God's still small voice.
But there is more to learn from Elijah.
God speaks in a still small voice.
After a forty-day journey on foot Elijah arrives at Mt. Horeb, another name for Mt. Sinai. He found a cave and lodged in it. God called him out of the cave , so that God's presence could pass him by.
Let's set the scene. Elijah is on God's holy mountain. He is on the same mountain that Moses was when he received the ten commandments. Elijah is now standing on the mountain and then a great wind came and split the mountain and rocks fell but....
God was not in the wind.
Then a fire came but.......
God was not in the fire.
Finally an earthquake came but....
God was not in the earthquake.
Then a gentle whisper came and said,"Elijah, why are you here?
God was in the whisper.
Have you heard God speak to you?
How do you hear the still small voice of God?
God speaks to you and me all the time. We have to tune our ears to His voice.
Have you been following along with our Bible reading plan, Practicing the presence of God?
You will find that God is giving us directions in our list 31 bible verses to learn how to hear His voice.
We need to be still and make room in our lives to sit in God's presence and listen for His whispers across our hearts. You can read a reminder of our devotional on how to be still and know God Here.
Fix your eyes on Jesus. Read the bible prayerfully and trust God to speak mto you through it. Read more about that HERE
Be like Jeremiah, dial God's telephone number regularly and talk with Him - Jeremiah 33:3.
Read, pray and memorize scripture so that God can bring it up in your heart at the perfect time you need that specific verse. I have the perfect example to share with you about this practice. My husband needed encouragement that only God could give him. He was in a similar weary place that Elijah was in. Before I realized what I was doing a prayer formed on my lips and it was a scripture prayer that I used to regularly pray fro teachers. It is from Deuteronomy 32:2. This verse encouraged my husband more than any words that I could have spoken to him. Scripture is alive and God speaks straight to all our concerns through it!
To help you hear God speak to you in a whisper, dive into our 31-day journey of discovering what God reveals about living in His presence! Together, we'll experience blessings beyond measure. I've crafted an exclusive, must-have 31 Day Bible Study printable, featuring 31 powerful scriptures on Practicing The Presence Of God. This essential package includes a guided prayer journal, an insightful workbook, and thought-provoking discussion questions designed to deepen your connection with each verse and uncover God's personal message to you. Don't miss out on this transformative experience! (There is a sample in our Resource Library, so you can try before you buy❤️)
Today's devotional is based on 1 Kings 19:11-13 which is from our Practicing The Presence Of God: 31 Presence Of God Scriptures Plan. You will find a free printable PDF of 31 scriptures about God's presence in the Resource Library. It has a bible reading plan, guided prayer, and gratitude journal. Download this free printable or grab a notebook.
What is God saying to you through this verse?
What burdens do you need to surrender to God and trust Him with?
Write out your prayer request.
What are you grateful for today? Count your blessings!
Write out the scripture verse, it helps you to memorize the scripture and store up God's truth in your heart. Then in the last section of the prayer journal, there is space to record what God is speaking to you through our bible verse today, 1 Kings 19:11-13.
Scripture Prayer
We are called to pray without ceasing. That means we can talk with God at any time and in any place. This is a great way to practice the presence of God. Praying scripture is a powerful way to pray so join me in praying 1 Kings 19:11-13.
Thank you Father for Your presence. Help me to hear Your still small voice. I love that You speak to me in a whisper! Remind me that I need to spend time with You, so that I can be refreshed in Your presence and then I can do the work that You have called me to do in Your strength. Amen.
Related Resources:
You will find Practicing The Presence Of God: 31 Presence Of God Scriptures HERE. It will have the list of 31 Bible verses that we are using for 31 days that our short powerful daily devotionals are based on.
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xx Karen.
