There are so many things going on in my head, Father. They really have nothing to do with the time before me at this moment, so I would ask for a focus of mind that would bring about the results that would be pleasing to You. Amen.
Acts 21:37-22:2 (<<click here to read the passage)
My sermon today dealt with the Old Testament prophet Elijah – a man held in such high esteem, that he, with Moses, were the ones chosen to speak with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration that Matthew, Mark, and Luke speak of in their Gospels.
I’m not sure where the Lord will lead me in this train of thought but, He does answer our prayers…
After the miraculous victory over the 450 prophets of Baal, and their notorious queen, Jezebel, Elijah is on the run with a bounty that Jezebel has placed upon his head. His “escape” took him several days journey, where he ended up hiding in a cave on Mt. Horeb.
After spending the night there the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:9c
He answered that he had been very zealous for the Lord and that Israel had forsaken God and had killed all the other prophets leaving him as the last one and now they were after him. v10
At this point, God said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” v11a
First, there was a great wind, splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces…but the Lord was not in the wind.
Nor was He in the earthquake that followed, nor the fire after that. But after the fire a sound of sheer silence. vs11-12 (emphasis mine)
Elijah heard that, wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then he was once more asked, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” v13 (New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition)
What got me started down this whole line of thought was the last part of Acts 21:40 which speaks of the deep silence which enveloped the crowd as Paul addressed them in their own language, Aramaic.
When Paul began to offer his defense before the crowd, again in their own language, amazingly the silence was even greater.
Once more in the midst of sheer silence, God spoke – this time through Paul.
God proclaims, “Be still, and know that I am God!” Psalm 46:10 NLT
Our world is so full of chaos and the clamor of it all, how do we hear anything…much less God speaking to us?
Lord Jesus, may we find those times of sheer silence. Speak into a greater deep silence that we may find You there, that we may find direction, that we may feel Your love in unfathomable ways. Lord, help us. Amen.
July 24th, 2022, Sunday, 9:29 pm
Thanks, Thom, for this message that I needed to hear today. The cacophony around is tends to deafen our spiritual ears, and I had never put these two passages together. In fact, I don’t think I ever noticed in the Acts passage that there was a deep silence. God is using you to share a message requiring me to be still, listen, and obey. Thanks for that!
Thank you for those words of encouragement!
I’m glad it spoke to you
Thanks, Thom, for this message that I needed to hear today. The cacophony around us tends to deafen our spiritual ears, and I had never put these two passages together. In fact, I don’t think I ever noticed in the Acts passage that there was a deep silence. God is using you to share a message requiring me to be still, listen, and obey. Thanks for that!