Daily Devotion – March 30, 2020 – Pastor Brian Hansen
1 Kings 19: 9-13
9 Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He answered, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.” 11 He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking 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 sound of sheer silence. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
At times (perhaps even during these times) we can develop a bit of an Elijah complex, that feeling like we are all alone and lamenting our lot in life. Elijah in our reading for today has just completed a fire lighting challenge with the prophets of Baal. The God of Israel that Elijah serves has won the challenge and as a result, Queen Jezebel whom the prophets serve, has threatened Elijah’s life.
Elijah has been on the run for forty days and forty nights before he has this encounter with God. Feeling alone and afraid, he is seeking the reassurance of God’s presence with him as he faces an uncertain future. Like the song says, he begins looking for God (love) in all the wrong places. Elijah searches for God amidst the violent winds, and the earthquakes and fires and he is not able to find God. It is only after the chaos and noise comes to an end that God is found.
These past few weeks have forced many to pause for a moment and live life a bit differently than the usual fast pace style. I wonder if the events of these past weeks might be inviting us to take time to sit in the silence and listen to how God may be speaking and calling us. Perhaps God might be calling us to consider living our lives in new and different ways. And perhaps we need this temporary pause and silence to hear.
One of the unexpected gifts that seems to be coming out of this current experience for me, is that I have been spending much more time with my family. I have had a chance to see them at breakfast and then again at lunch and then once again at dinner each and every day and much of the time in between those meals. Maybe God is speaking to me and to us all in the midst of this difficult and challenging time. Maybe God is inviting us to see that we need to appreciate and enjoy the gift of life before us each and every day. Maybe God is inviting us through this time to consider how we might slow down to enjoy the gifts of our family and friends, the gift of the sunrise and the sunset and all the other tiny moments in between that we don’t typically notice as we run the race of life.
Prayer: God of the silence, you promise to be with us in the midst of fear, uncertainty, and loneliness. Keep us mindful of your constant presence in our lives and help us to see and understand that we are not alone. Gracious God help us to pause for a moment each day to soak up the gift of life and to give thanks for all that we have been given, for we ask in Jesus name. AMEN
