Hearing God in the whisper
1 kings 19
Prayer-
Introduction-
Good morning everyone, glad that you are joining us this morning and taking time to hear the Word.
It is almost 6 weeks that our life has been turned on edge and our Normal has been disrupted.
In a lot of ways, I think normal needs to be disrupted at times, because if it doesn’t it becomes stale. Stale in the workplace, our homes, and even in our churches.
It may never get back to what we called normal, but it still can be something amazing and fresh and new and have the anointing of God on it.
That would be a new normal we all could live with because it would have more purpose and energy.
This morning I want to look at the scripture from 1 Kings 19- Centering on listening to God in the whispers of life.
I have to tell you that as a pastor I am seeking the Lord on what He would have me say as I stand behind the sacred pulpit of God.
The Lord laid this verse on my heart and in the beginning stages of the message, the theme of listening to God amongst all the noises of the world so that even if God whispered, you would say Yes Lord- your servant hears you.
The more you desire and the more you try to live that kind of relationship with the Lord, the more you will be met with opposition- Amen.
Well, I actually was on my treadmill walking off the pounds as God began to speak to me and reminded me of this verse.
I am off Mondays and I came in to the office on Tuesday and begin to flush out the meat and potatoes of the message.
In my devotion time , I began hearing God give me verses and thoughts-
I think now is a great time because almost all pastors are putting their messages on the internet and when I go on my treadmill, I get a chance to hear some of my colleagues messages as I am walking. It makes it less painful and I am being fed.
I am listening to one of my colleagues and he begins sharing the same scripture verse and talking about Elijah and this sick feeling fills my stomach.
Oh my, this guy is preaching my message. The bad part about it, he is doing it a week earlier of my message and it will look like I copied his message.
Isn’t that like the devil to take something good and turn it into a hassle and/or an obstacle.
Ok Lord, now what do I do?
This is where my heart was heading- and as I was having a pity party for myself- the Lord said, I didn’t hear an audible voice but I heard him say to my spirit- Do you really believe that you would be the only one that this week would be speaking on this verse?
No Lord! Then preach what I gave you.
It is just like the enemy to muddy up the waters when they don’t need to be muddied up.
It is just like the enemy of our souls to put a wedge where there should be a bridge.
This message was for me to bring and my friend had his message to bring.
They have the same text but different drawing points.
They pass through but both fit the people that were to hear it this morning.
If the enemy can keep you isolated and feeling alone- he takes you off the path that the Lord has for you- that is for someone this morning.
Let’s dig out a nugget of truth that we can apply to our lives this morning-
The prophet Elijah was being used by God mightily at a time that there was an evil king on the throne of Israel. Ahab did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any other king to that point. But God was still doing some amazing things-
The Lord told Elijah to tell the evil king, no rain till he gives the order.
Elijah meets up with a poor widow who had nothing and she gathered jars from all her neighbors and the Lord filled Everyone of them. Every empty she could get, the Lord provided through Elijah a miracle of filling those jars so that she could get the creditors off the widows back and bless her with money to survive.
1 Kings Chapter 18 Elijah encounters all the prophets of the evil king and they have a strength match of which God is better. Elijah is outnumbered 450 to 1 and God does some amazing things.
While 450 Baal prophets are yelling and screaming and cutting themselves to get the attention of their God, Elijah is baiting them and having fun with them.
He says to them when their God was not answering that maybe the 450 of them need to yell louder because maybe their God was asleep.
18:27- “At noon, Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder” he said, surely he is a god! Perhaps he is in deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.”
In all attempts by the prophets, their god did not show up and consume the offering that was being given.
Elijah fixes the altar and pours more water on the meat that was to be consumed and made the meat sit in pools of water.
1 Kings 18:36-38
“At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O Lord answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again. Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.”
Elijah was on a high until he allowed someone else to kick him off the mountain. (Comment)
Anybody know what I am talking about?
It is bad enough when you are overpowered and lose your spot on the mountain because you get tossed off the mountain, but when you do it to yourself or have such a fear that you leave the mountain on what could happen-
Ahab is the king and Jezebel is the queen-
1 Kings 19:1-5 read and then stop and comment
Here Elijah had done great works under the anointing and power of God. He is riding a high and then get’s intimidated by Queen Jezebel.
(3) Elijah was afraid and ran for his life- he was outnumbered 450/1 on the mountain and god provided and did everything he said he would do and this guy gets scared of one person who said that she was going to kill him just like he did to all the prophets that worked for her.
“While he himself went a day’s journey into the desert”
He was at a dark place. It is always darkest before the light.
Let me ask you- Has this pandemic changed your plans or altered them?
Very important question- because one answer you are defeated and one just means that you have to be more determined to allow God to help you through it.
If the pandemic changed you to running scared, then you will not accomplish what the Lord desires of you.
If it has altered you, you may have to get creative to accomplish what the Lord wants from you.
We know what Elijah did-
“I have had enough Lord! Take my life! I am no better than my ancestors.”
Elijah was standing in the gap for God to the nation of Israel because they were serving and worshipping other God’s and Elijah says I am no better than them because he is now running scared because of Jezebel.
Stay with me- verse 5-8
“All at once an angel touched him and said “Get up and eat.” He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said Get up and eat for the journey is too much for you. So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.”
Anybody catching this!
The Lord met him where he was at and strengthened him.
God could of beat him over the head, instead feeds and strengthens him and gives him a time of rest.
(7) Came back a second time- aren’t you glad that God gives us second chances!
Get up and eat for the journey is too much for you!
The journey is too much for you, but it will not be too much if you let me strengthen you and feed you and walk with you!
He was feed by God and then was able to go forty days and 40 nights until he arrived on the mountain of God.
Some of us need to get to the mountain of God! Amen.
Where we can get into the presence of God and let him complete what he has started!
God has a plan for me and I plan to be in it! SM Lockridge
Here is the word for you this morning-
1 Kings 19:9-13 Read from Bible
What are doing here Elijah?
He goes into all kinds of excuses of who’s after him and him being the only one that loves the Lord and wants to be used of God.
You still don’t get it Elijah
“The Lord said, go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Verse 11 Elijah was hiding in a cave-
Was he there to see God move? Was that his heart desire?
Was he there to die on a sacred mountain of God? He would come to the mountain, but didn’t expect God to do anything, only punish him for being scared-
God had worked through trials, circumstances, obstacles, tough people who wanted to kill him in the past, would he save him now?
In the past, God had worked.
He shattered the mountain, but unlike Moses on Horeb with God earlier, God had something new for Elijah…
The lord was not in the wind-
The Lord was not in the earthquake-
The Lord was not in the fire
After the fire came a gentle whisper! (Quiet) Come out Elijah!
The power of listening to God!
The wonderful blessing of hearing God amongst all the noise!
Mother Teresa
“listen in silence because if your heart is so full of other things you cannot hear the voice of God.”
The power of silence-
You feeling lost?
You need to hear from God?
You need rest?
You need some alone time with the Lord?
Go to the mountain of God and stand in His presence!
God voice is heard only after you quiet the world and seek his voice-
Closing,
Elijah after a tremendous victory is bombarded by the enemy and is in the battle of his life-
He thought the Lord left him- he didn’t
He thought he was the only one serving God amongst a heathen world- he wasn’t
Don’t let the enemy make you feel isolated and alone – because you are not!
How many this morning would say to the Lord, I need to hear your whispers so that when it gets loud, I can hear your voice? Amen- me too!
Do you want to hear something fresh and new from the Lord just for you?
You have to be listening
You have to want to hear and do what He tells you.
Yahweh told Elijah that He needed to get into the presence of God because He was passing through.
The Lord is passing through this morning- He is speaking to each of us.
Are you going to be listening?
Prayer-
