The still small voice

When we inevitably find ourselves doubting our faith, where do we turn? Many people, myself included, turn to 1 Corinthians 15. But in this point, I'd also like to encourage consulting 1 Kings 19.

To set the scene, Elijah, fleeing from Ahab and Jezebel, finds himself in the wilderness at Mount Horeb. He's all alone and in need of God's encouragement. When we need encouragement, do we expect some substantial demonstration from God? Some overwhelming miracle, confirming once and for all that God exists? Elijah probably did.

First comes a great storm, but "the LORD was not in the wind." Then comes an earthquake, but "the LORD was not in the earthquake." Next comes a fire, but "the LORD was not in the fire."

So God spoke through none of those temporal means! Finally, in 1 Kings 19:12-13 (KJV),

And after the fire a still small voice. And ... Elijah heard it

A still small voice -- the exact opposite of the tremendous, substantial sign Elijah might have expected. And just as important, Elijah heard it.

Just as Elijah, we must train our ears to detect spiritual sounds that might be "still" and "small." Why does God speak this way? Why does he not speak with overwhelming sounds of thunder? Perhaps because humans, at their core, are spiritual beings, and therefore humans are more likely to respond to spiritual, as opposed to temporal, stimuli. After all, the book of Revelation makes clear that, even in the face of overwhelming temporal demonstrations of God's existence, many people still rebel against him. But who could rebel against that "still small voice," if their ears were inclined to hear it?

(Note: Charles Spurgeon issued on excellent sermon that explored 1 Kings 19.)