In case you aren’t familiar with the account in the Old Testament of a famous prophet named Elijah trying to have a meeting with God, let me give you my synopsis. God invited Elijah to the meeting and told him to go stand on a mountain, “And, I’ll pass by,” God said.
Not your every day invitation. Elijah was having a rather bad season at the time. Having a face-to-face with God might have seemed like a good solution. Or not.
The way the Bible describes it, Elijah stood on a mountain and experienced a mighty wind, an earthquake, and then a fire. But God was in none of these. (In case you are wondering, this is not where the band Earth, Wind, and Fire got its name. Too bad.) Anyway, the famous part of this story comes next: Finally, there was a Still, Small Voice. And God was in the that.
I love the still, small voice. It is the way I most often feel I’ve heard from God. Usually through a thought in prayer or a scripture passage that resonates during my reading. But, we Christians like to make a lot out of that moment. Especially when we want to blast someone else’s style or method. “God’s not into all this hype, Brother!”
But the truth is this: Sometimes God was in the earthquake. He opened prison doors for Paul and Silas that way. And even people who don’t believe the Bible can tell you that God was in the fire when He spoke to Moses from a burning bush.
You see, Dear Reader,God speaks in all kinds of ways.
We cannot predict or assume how God will communicate with us or with someone else. Just because we Hear him in the wind, that does not mean we need to blow in the other guy’s ear. We know certain truths about God’s character. (He can’t lie, for instance.) Beyond that, God’s ways are completely up to Him.
If we keep that in mind, maybe we will actually hear from Him more often. And, maybe we will hear one another.