Elijah Part 6: The God Who Speaks

Elijah Part 6: The God Who Speaks.

1 Kings 19: 9-18

Elijah has run away from Jezebel and Ahab. He has been sustained by the angel of the Lord in the desert and he has arrived at Mount Horeb – the mountain of God. His instinct, when he has found himself in despair and dread, has been to run to his father, to God. And his father has loved him, and met him on the journey, and sustained him. 

And when Elijah is at Mount Horeb, God asks him a simple question: “What are you doing here?” And Elijah pours out his heart – how the Israelites have rejected His covenant, broken down his altars, killed His prophets – all true. 

I am the only one who is left, he says. Not true. 

In this little coaching session, God teases out the thing that is holding Elijah back and weakening him. It’s not true that Elijah is the only one left and nor is it true, therefore, that everything sits on his shoulders. There are others and most importantly, there is God himself – a God who has just demonstrated his power and existence to all who would listen and see, in a confrontation with the very people who Elijah is afraid of.

It’s in this famous moment, God speaks to Elijah – but actually, God has always been speaking to Elijah. The question has not been the speaking but is perhaps more about the listening. What has Elijah been listening to? What are we listening to? Who are we listening to? This episode from the depths of the Old Testament, sign posts us to a truth: that is was Jesus who met Elijah in the wilderness, it was Jesus who spoke in that still small voice and it is Jesus who stills speaks to us now. 

The challenge of Elijah’s story is that even those who have seen the most amazing demonstrations of God’s power in their lives, can become discouraged, but finding God’s voice again is what puts Elijah back on track. Hearing His truth and not the enemy’s lies.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Elijah has run away from Jezebel and Ahab. He's been sustained by the angel of the Lord in the desert, and he has arrived at Mount Oreb, the mountain of God. His instinct, when he's found himself in despair and dread, has been to run to his father, to God. And his father has loved him and met him on the journey and sustained him. And when Elijah is at Mount Oreb, God asks him a simple question: What are you doing here? And Elijah pours out his heart. How the Israelites have rejected his covenant, broken down his altars, killed his prophets. All true. I'm the only one who's left, he says. Not true. In this little coaching session, God teases out the thing that's holding Elijah back and weakening him. It's not true that Elijah is the only one left, and nor is it true, therefore, that everything sits on his shoulders. There are others, and most importantly, there is God Himself, a God who's just demonstrated his power and existence to all who would listen and see in a confrontation with the very people who Elijah is afraid of. It's in this famous moment that God speaks to Elijah. But actually, God has always been speaking to Elijah. The question has not been the speaking, but it's perhaps more about the listening. What has Elijah been listening to? What are we listening to? Who are we listening to? This episode from the depths of the Old Testament signposts us to the truth that it was Jesus who met Elijah in the wilderness. It was Jesus who spoke in that still small voice, and it is still Jesus who speaks to us now. The challenge of Elijah's story is that even those who've seen the most amazing demonstrations of God's power in their lives can be discouraged. But finding God's voice again is what puts Elijah back on track. Hearing his truth and not the enemy's lies. Let's listen to Dean.

SPEAKER_00 2:12

Elijah. Where did we find Elijah last time? Elijah was, he'd he'd had his big showdown. He'd he'd exposed the false prophets. He then thought that he was on his own. The uh Queen Jezebel would turn against him and said, Your life is ended, it's over. I've had enough of you. And so he runs for his life. And we found him last week running away because he was afraid, and God meeting with him, tending to him, providing for him, caring for him, telling him the journey is too much for you, Elijah, as it is for all of us. This journey we call life is too much by ourselves. We weren't meant to walk it alone. We were meant to walk in step with God. And so Elijah is refreshed and renewed, and then he carries on his journey and finds himself in a cave. That's where we're going to be this week. Um there we go. And then we find that Elijah is in this cave and we have this story, perhaps a well-known story to if you've been in church any length of time, but um a story that has had a lasting impact, and the terminology and the words used in it and the description is perhaps fairly familiar for those in Christian circles. But if it isn't, then today we want to introduce you to the God who speaks. It's perhaps one of the first things you discover. If you open your Bible and turn to page one, you find that there is a God who speaks. He speaks creation into existence, he speaks to the people that he forms, he's speaking all the way through scripture. It's the one thing that distinguishes him from gods like Baal that we've seen in this story and the other gods. And the prophets often make fun of these gods saying, you know, you carve them out of wood and you make these statues, but they're silent. They're mute gods, they don't speak back. The thing about our God is that he speaks. He can speak, he has spoken, and that he will speak. And so we're going to see that happen in Elijah today. Let's read the story together from verse 9 of chapter 19. It says, And the word of the Lord came to him, that's Elijah. What are you doing here, Elijah? He replied, I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too. The Lord said, Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by. Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire, and after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, What are you doing here, Elijah? He replied, I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too. The Lord said to him, Go back the way you came, and go to the desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael, king over Aram. Also anoint Jehu, son of Nimshi, king over Israel, and anoint Elisha, son of Shaphat, from Abel Meholah, to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escaped the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escaped the sword of Jehu. Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal, and whose mouths have not kissed him. Father, we ask that you would speak for your word today. That you would speak to our hearts. We ask, Holy Spirit, that you would breathe your life into it, that you would shape us and mould us. For you are able to speak, Lord. And we are listening. Come, Lord Jesus, we ask in your precious name. Amen. So we don't know how long we're going to be today. Oh, it's going. There you go, we're okay. We're saved. Don't say amen. So, Elijah, we found him. So this is Elijah. Remember, we had Elijah on the mountaintop, we've had Elijah confront him, we've had Elijah with miracles, and now we find Elijah still pretty despondent. Still going, God, what are you doing? I can't go back there, running for his life, afraid of what's going to happen. God has met with him. We saw this last week. He met with him, he fed him, he connected with him, he refreshed him, he gave him strength for the rest of his journey, and he goes on the rest of his journey, but now he's still hidden in a cave. He isn't where God wants him, but he's where Elijah feels like he needs to be, hiding himself, keeping himself safe, and God comes after him. God always comes after us. There's the one thing about God we see through scripture. The whole of the Bible is this love story of a God who runs after us, runs towards us, comes to us again and again and again. There used to be an old phrase, perhaps you've heard of it, and they used to call it the hound of heaven. This idea that God is like a hound chasing you down. That terrifies me. I think, ugh, the Bible's a much better picture. He's like a shepherd who loses a sheep out of nine hundred and goes off to find the sheep. So not a hound, but a shepherd. I think that's a much more accurate picture of the kind of father we have. He comes and seeks us and finds us and brings us back. And he's doing that here with Elijah. He comes to him and the word comes to Elijah, and the question is, What are you doing here, Elijah? We often want answers from God, and so often when you come and seek him, what you find is not answers but more questions. And that can bamboozle you and confuse you. Well, I want a solution, I want a direction, I want some clarity. And God often comes with a question, but in the question is an invitation to find out something about ourselves, but also God. He draws us out in the questions. It's not because God needs to find out anything, it's because he wants us to have our eyes open to realise something. If you read the story of Job, a man who suffered and found himself despairing, the end of that story is not an answer, but a whole series of questions, as he shows Job through these questions who he is and what he's doing. And so Elijah is asked, What are you doing here? And his answer is this I've been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. True. He has been zealous for God. The Israelites have rejected your covenant. True. You've turned against him. They have torn down your altars. True. They've just destroyed the things that represent God. They've put your prophets to death with the sword. True. Elijah's had to hide for three years to protect himself from this. Now they are trying to kill me. True. Elijah's life is now on the line, the ends of this. I am the only one left. False. Elijah in his crying out to God, he says many true things, and in our answers, we can have many things right in our head, many true facts. But we often find that as we talk with God, there is something that gets highlighted. This is the area where it's not quite right. This is where you're getting things. This is why you're in a cave, Elijah. This is why you are hiding all these things that are true. Yep, yep, absolutely. But you think that you're on your own. I don't know if there's an anger or frustration in Elijah's first answer. I've been doing all this work, I'm the only one who cares, I'm the only one who can get this done. I'm the only one faithful. I'm the only one who sees clearly. But what God's going to show Elijah is that that's where he's getting things wrong. That is the undoing, and that is why he's finding himself afraid and hiding in a cave. He's taking on more responsible responsibility than was his. He'd done what God had asked him, but he thought that he had to do everything. It's a danger we can fall into. We can do what God asks us, but then we take on and we start doing all the things that we should be doing or think we should be doing, not simply what God has asked us to do. And so God is going to correct this, but he's going to do it in a particular way. And so it says, the Lord God said, Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by. And so he does. Elijah had known God in the miraculous, the ravens had fed him, he's been sheltered and provided for, he's seen fire fall from heaven. But now God's going to show Elijah that he doesn't need those things to communicate with his children. That isn't the only way that God shows up. And so you have this incredible scene. The wind tears through the mountain, tears the rocks down. And then this awareness in Elijah, God isn't in the wind. There's an earthquake, and the floor shakes, and there's power and fear. But Elijah has a sense that God isn't in the earthquake. And there's a fire. Elijah's seen fire before in God in the fire, speaking in the fire, and the fire comes, but there's an awareness, God isn't in the fire. And then it says, There came a gentle whisper. If you want to say it in the original. It means a sound that is calm, silent, thin, and small. A voice that is silent. And you think, well, that's an oxymoron. Is that the right word, oxymoron? A silent voice, a quiet sound, these things go together, but here there is something, something that happens that some translations call it a still, small voice, a gentle whisper, the sound of low whisper. One translation calls it the sound of a minute stillness. This sense that God is speaking not in the grand and the extravagant, but in something else. On Mount Carmel, God came with a fire and in power, but here he comes with a voice. A small, still voice that speaks to Elijah's heart and meets him in his despair and in his anxiety. This voice is exactly what Elijah needs to hear. Once Elijah needed God to be powerful and dramatic to show the world that there is one true God. But here, Elijah doesn't need that. Elijah needs to be heard and he needs to hear. In our lowest moment, those who've been walking with Jesus a long time, who've been through suffering in trial, they will testify to this. In our lowest moments, we often find God doesn't shout. We often want him to. God, would you speak clearly? Would you make it plain? Would you write in the sky? Would you reveal yourself? But what we find is that in those moments he speaks in a gentle, still voice. He whispers. The only way you can hear a whisper is if the person whispering is very near to you. And someone has once said that that's why God whispers in this moment. In our despair and our anxiety, God whispers because he is drawing near to us. His presence is coming to us. There is his strength and his sustaining, his comfort, he is near to us, and so in that moment, he whispers because it's when he is closest. May not be much, may not be loud, but it is enough. We are the ones who often say, God, if you would just make it clear, if you would just make it plain, if you would shout from the heavens, then we would see. But God doesn't just want us to hear him, he wants us to know him, he wants to draw near to us, he wants to be with us. And so often he will whisper. And so he asks him. Elijah goes out, and the voice says to him, What are you doing here, Elijah? Same question. He just answered, and Elijah then gives the same answer. I've been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too. Same question, same answer. I wonder, and I'm reading this into the text, but I wonder if there is a change in tone that takes place. I wonder if Elijah's first answer is perhaps defensive and angry. What am I doing here? I'll tell you what I'm doing here. I've been zealous for you, God, and the Israelites have rejected your covenant, they've torn down your altars, they've put prophets to death with the sword, I'm the only one left, and they're trying to kill me too. Then God displays that he isn't in these powerful things, he comes near and whispers to him. And I wonder when he asks the same question, what are you doing here, Elijah? I wonder if there is a softness in Elijah's response. I wonder if his response isn't a one of accusation but one of surrender that he's now ready to hear. It's like children, you would have experienced this. Sometimes children that they have bad days and they have good days, sometimes they don't get enough sleep and they get upset. And sometimes the best thing you can do is let them wear themselves out. Once they're worn out, then they will cry into your lap and cuddle you. Before that, they will kick and scream and fight and shout and make all sorts of excuses and complaints. But when they're all punched out, when they're all worn out, then they will come ready to listen, ready to be embraced, ready to be loved. And I wonder if that's what we're seeing here in Elijah. God does that with most of us. If you're not sure about that, please go and read the book of Psalms. There are wonderful Psalms, Lord my shepherd, who guides me, you lead me by still waters. There's also God, how have you forsaken me? Why do you not listen to me? Why are you so far off? Why do you not care? Why have you turned against us? Why are you why are you so angry at us? Why do you keep doing this to us? There are accusations where they're punching out at God, and then at the very end of each of those psalms, when they're all punched out, they suddenly go, but you are good and faithful. And you see this again and again in the Psalms, this crying out, this fighting, this wrestling, and then this stillness of, but God, you are near. God, you are good. The famous story: a man called Jacob meets with God and wrestles with him all night, and he fights and he fights, and he's trying to get on top and he's trying to beat him, and at the end, God simply touches his hip and puts it out of joint and then blesses him. And I think often God does that with us. He lets us wrestle with him and try and beat him and try and beat him into submission, and then in a moment, with a simple touch, with a whisper, all of our strength goes, and there we find blessing. God's people get called Israel, which means those who wrestle with God because this is what we are invited to do. Most gods wouldn't tolerate this. They smite you, they strike you down at the first sign of insubordination. But our God is one who lets us fight with him, lets us accuse and blame, and then at the end, when we're all punched out, wraps his arms around us, brings us near, and whispers to us exactly what we need to hear. And that's what we see in Elijah. Because God this time speaks back to him. When he makes his statements, all the ones that are true, and that one that's false. God goes to him and gives him instruction. Go back. Anoint these kings, anoint Elisha. We're going to look at that next week, or the week after next, I think. And then he says at the end, here's the thing that you need to change, Elijah, Elijah. Here's the shift. Verse 18, I reserve 7,000 in Israel. All whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him. I've got 7,000. You are not alone. You are not the last one. And you are so wrapped up in what you were doing and so caught up and so consumed with it that you you missed this one thing that I am doing a greater thing. But now you're ready to listen. Now you've allowed me to draw near. Now you're ready to hear this. Elijah, you are not the only one. There are others who can carry this with you. And so he gives him something to do and sends him back. God speaks to him and shows him that he can speak in a different way. And it's that still voice that we sometimes need. That ability to allow God to be drawn to him so that he will draw near to us and allow him to speak. That still small voice has been used by many as a catch-all for inner impressions and gut feelings and mystical hunches. And lots of people I know say, God told me, and then do all sorts of awful things. And so there is danger. Last Sunday evening we did a whole, I've got notes, four way, four pages of notes, if you want to have a look at them, of what it means for God to speak and how he speaks and how we discern it. Scripture's full of that, it's full of warnings. Don't believe every spirit, but test them, be discerning, discern these things so that not every thought that comes into our head is God, but there is a truth that's shown here and throughout the rest of Scripture, that God is able to communicate to us. He does so in many ways. In scripture, he speaks, in dreams, in visions, in prophecy, in creation, in impressions. That's not just based on experience, it's the Bible that suggests that. It's the Bible that points to that. And so we have to ask the question well, how do I recognize this? How do I recognize when God is trying to speak to me? And in this very passage, we have a clue. See, Elijah's been visited three times in the last few verses. We saw one last week and two this week. The first is the messenger of Yahweh comes. When he's frustrated, the one that feeds him, the one that tells him the journey is too much. It says the messenger of Yahweh. Now, your Bible might say an angel, angel and messenger are the same word that the Bible often uses. But it's interesting that it doesn't say an angel came, it says the angel came. If you read your Bibles, you'll find there are other points where the angel comes. And this the angel isn't just an angel, it's not just one of the group that serve God. This is a messenger of God that is higher, that is greater, that almost has a divinity about him. People bow down and worship him. People recognize that God is speaking through it. Some would call it a pre-incarnation version of Jesus. Sounds fancy. It means Jesus showing up before he turned up in a body. And here, this this messenger, this God coming to meet Elijah comes and refreshes him. Then we see in verse 9 that the word of Yahweh comes to him. The word of God. Not just a word, but the word comes to him. This word of God, this one that speaks, this voice, this representation of God. We're told in the New Testament that this word becomes flesh. John's gospel, we can go read it, the very first verse. This word of God, this communication of God becomes flesh. And then we have the voice of God in verse 13 that speaks to him. We see one who speaks to Elijah, one who speaks with Elijah, and then one who speaks in Elijah, urging him and moulding him. And scholars think that all these are pointing to the same person. You may have heard of him, his name is Jesus. Jesus meets with Elijah in these different ways, gradually revealing more of himself, ministering to Elijah, speaking with Elijah, and then revealing himself in Elijah in the still small voice, in this gentleness, in this presence that guides him. You notice it actually in one of the verses, verse 11, it says, The Lord said, Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by. You've got three lords there. The Lord says, Go out into the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is going to pass by. Well, I'm going out into the presence, and what do we think? Three, one, one, three. What are we talking? Oh, oh right. Instead, we've got a name for that. We call it the Trinity. God one in three, God who is one, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And the Son reveals the Father, and the Spirit points us to the Son, and all of them communicate the one God to us. Here is Jesus, the Spirit, working in Elijah, the Father, altogether revealing themselves to him. What does that have to do with listening to God? The best way to learn how to hear God is to listen to Jesus. Amazingly, it's Elijah again who gives us this tip. Many years later, Jesus will come in the flesh and he'll live and work among us. And there's an incident where he goes up a mountain with his disciples and Jesus shines in his glory, he reveals himself as God. Two people turn up to talk with him. Moses and Elijah. And they show up and they talk to Jesus about what's to come and the death he's going to die and the sacrifice he's going to make. And a voice from heaven speaks and says, This is my son who I love, listen to him. This is my son who I love. Listen to him. God speaks. And if you want to know if it's God speaking or not, the question you can ask, the question this suggests to us is, does it sound like Jesus? Does it sound like Jesus? Well, how do I know what Jesus sounds like? Well, we have four Gospels that we can read to discover what he sounds like, the kind of things he says and the way that he says them, that he is full of truth and grace, that he is full of compassion and kindness, that he is worthy of praise, but he is near to us. God speaks in a certain way and he speaks about certain things. He communicates his heart to us, and Jesus, the one that's revealed in Scripture, is our bar, he's the standard, he's the way that we can test whether this is God or not. He's the messenger of dark God. Hebrews puts it like this: God spoken many times in many ways, but he has spoken most clearly through his son. And so God may speak to you in many different ways and many different means, but the clearest way he's spoken is Jesus. So the way you discern is you take what you think you've heard, and to make sure it wasn't the cheese you had last night or something else, or just a bad experience, you take it and you bring it to Jesus and you say, Does this sound like you? Is this from you or is this something I'm because we can all come up with our own ideas and thoughts, we can only our own fears even and use them and justify them, God told me. But scripture invites us to hear that Jesus speaks to us. He's the word of God who speaks. And he's spoken in Scripture, but but it's scripture that suggests he will always speak outside it too. Acts is a demonstration of this. God speaks in many ways. He doesn't reveal new things about himself, but Jesus said the Spirit will bring to mind all that I've said. He will show you these things, he will guide you in these things, he'll remind you of what I've said. And often when God speaks, he simply repeats himself. He tells us something we already know, but we need to hear in that moment for that time. And so God communicates. Should I seek it? Should I look for this? Should I be asking God? Well, scripture doesn't really suggest that, not necessarily. But we should be open to it. In Acts, what we see is that people are getting on with what God's told them to do. Go into the world, make disciples, tell them about Jesus, teach them all that I've obeyed, and while they're getting on with that, then God speaks to them to direct and to guide and to shape them. It's while they're getting on with what God has already told them to do that God steps in, just like Elijah. He's getting on with what God has to do, and then he has to step in at this point. It's not particularly seeking it or demanding it, that's not what it's about. It's that God can speak, and God will speak when he needs to. But we also need to know that God has spoken. And if we have his word, then we have enough to be getting on with. But as we get on with what he's told us to do, essentially love God, love one another, make his gospel known. You could be you you could know those three things and have a whole lifetime of stuff to be getting on with. But as you get on with that, you'll find there'll be times where God will speak, and he'll direct to help you, to guide you in those purposes, to aid you in that. And sometimes it will be clear, and sometimes you'll have to discern it. I've got a list I can print out if you want to A, B, C, D, EFG. Um, that goes through is this from God? Is there an authority to it? Is it biblical? Um, is it Christ-like? Does it lead to discipleship, to faith in God? Does that tell me what EFG is, but it's is it a group, an OG's group? Do others confirm this? And it sounds like a bit of a burden, but gradually as you walk with Jesus, these things become more familiar. You get to know this is how he speaks, this is the kind of things he speaks about. But the test isn't whether you've heard him speak in a voice or a sound or a dream. The test is, am I obeying it? I've said it before, but in Hebrew, listen and obey are the same word. If you want to hear what God's saying to you, perhaps you need to get on with what he's already told you to do. Don't ask for a next instruction when you're still not obeying the last one. Because God has a tendency to wait for us to be stepping out before he communicates his heart to us. But when we do, God can lead. Like I say, you don't have to chase after this. God is able to speak to you more than enough that you don't need to seek it or to demand it or to tear it down from heaven, but to be open to it. Today, Lord, if you want to speak to me, let me be listening. Lord, today, if you want to guide me, would you let me be open? I want to be led by you. And so a few weeks ago, I was walking around the grange and I was thinking about this message and what I was going to say. And as I walked around the grange, I looked over, and there was a toddler, a little girl, perhaps two years old, with her mummy and a daddy, and they were stood there looking at one of the big trees with a branch hanging over the grange, and there was a ball stuck in the tree, like a ball with a like a curly string on the end, a stretchy string. And I looked at him, the little girl was looking up in the tree, pointing, and the daddy was laughing, and I thought, oh, what a shame. That little girl, a ball's got stuck in the tree, and they can't get it down, it's too high up. So I noticed it, and dad looked at me and sort of laughed, and I laughed back and carried on. And as I came down to walk back to our house, a thought entered my head, you should help them. So I went through my ABCDEFG and thought, does that sound like the kind of thing Jesus would say? Does that does it seem biblical? Does that sound Christ-like? Does that lead to faith? And as I thought, I thought, no, well, how am I gonna help them? I can't, it's hanging out on a branch, I'm not gonna get the gun on my shoulders or anything like that. It's it's nothing I can do, so I carry on. And the thought persists as these thoughts sometimes that you should help them. Nothing, nothing elaborate said the same thing, you should help them. And so I started thinking, well, I can't do anything, so I can't help them. And I get back home, and as I get to my front door, I do think we do have a ladder in the shed. But if I go over there with a ladder, I'm gonna look like a right nutty carrying a ladder. So no, it's really got things to do, I'll get on with it. But it's like I thought, well, I'm thinking about this message, and I can't go to church and say, Well, I had a thought and then I ignored it. So I'll go get a ladder. So I went to the shed, got the ladder up, put it on my shoulder, and walked across the the road, carrying this ladder up the little alleyway there, walking up to the Grange, thinking, okay, okay, if this is you, God, then then I'll have a good story to tell because I'm gonna go and I'm gonna get there then born out and they're gonna say, What a wonderful person, where are you from? And I'll say, Behold, I'm from Lumster Baptist Church, and here we believe in the living God, and you can call on him, and he can he can change your life like he's changed mine. And as I'm planning my speech as I'm going along, and I see them, and I'm walking across the field now towards these people looking like I don't know who, but with a hand over my shoulder, and I see them and that sort of turn and look at me, and they kind of pause and then they sort of turn slowly and sort of hollow together, sort of whispering to each other, and thinking, I imagine going as a weird bloke walking towards us with a ladder. What do we do? So I get there and I go, I saw that the ball was stuck in the tree, um, and I live just across the way, so I thought I'd help. And so they thought I go, Oh, okay. That wasn't the response I wanted, but I think that's fine. So I step on the ladder and I climb up and I get the ball down, and then I give it to the girl and I go, There you go, you got your there's your ball. And the dad goes to the gal and says, There you go, now you can stop fussing about it. And I thought, I don't think that ball belonged to the girl. I think it was just the ball that was stuck in the tree that they told them like the top of the wood just and I kept pointing and I kept fussing about. It wasn't actually that legal that stuck up there, but it was up there. And then they sort of stood there awkwardly, and I went, okay, and then I was sort of waiting for that, and I went, oh, thank you very much. That was so kind, lovely, but nothing. I'm coming back and I was thinking, come on, because I was ready to ignore them, and I never had the thought, and I thought, no, there's no point, and then I did it, and then I'm gonna get money, and then I'm gonna be foolish, and then nothing even came of it, there was no fruit, nothing didn't fall on the knees, didn't confess this, and then they'll come to Jesus, and I'll get to me, and then think, and I thought what was that about? And as I came back, another thought came, and then honestly, it was like the other one, and it's it's like a clarity of thought, like not my like my jumble thoughts, but it was just a clarity, and it was just the words just checking, just checking. Just wanted to see if you were open, just wanted to see if you were listening. It wasn't about the fruit, it wasn't about what came of it, it wasn't about what happened, it wasn't about saving them or doing anything, just checking. Because you're gonna talk on this thing, you're gonna talk about a God who can speak, who does, and that we see in scripture again and again. And the one way that you you you receive this, the one way is not by seeking, it's not by being super spiritual, it's not by performing different ways to get God to talk. We don't twist his arm into speaking. We go through life aware that God is with us, that he is in us, and that we start each day going, God, I'm open. And if you've got nothing new to say to me or nothing different to say that I need to hear, then I'll go on what I already know. That you love me, that you have sent me, that I'm filled with your spirit, I have purpose and dignity and worth, and I'm living for your glory. That's enough to be getting on with. But if there's some way that you want to shape me or guide me, if you want to lead me in that, then I'm open. And I think that's what we see here. We don't see Elijah doing anything to get God to speak or performing anything. There is simply obviously a willingness and an openness that God would speak. That when God needs to, he can. We're not open to everything, because that means we open ourselves up to all kinds of voices and instructions that are dangerous and harmful. But we trust he is with me, that he is in me, and that he is able to speak. Jesus is a God who speaks, who calls us by name, who comforts us with grace and truth. And often what he says is repeating what he's already said. You are my child who I love. I'm with you always. I will never leave you. I am enough. I'm here. You are mine. You're my beloved. And often, if God's going to speak, you'll simply repeat something, and every now and then he'll guide us. So many stories of missionaries, of those working and serving God in different ways, not just missionaries in far-flung countries, but people who live their daily lives saying, God, I want to glorify and make you known. You just find at the right moment a thought, an idea, something happens that steers them and guides them, that leads them to the place where they're meant to be with just the right words at just the right time for God to minister to them. And sometimes he does it with no purpose at all, but simply to remind us that this is how we're meant to live. With a God who can speak and a God who does speak. Not to perform. God doesn't speak to impress us, but he does speak that he might lead us where we need to be led, that he might guide us. This is my son who I love. I am pleased with him. Listen to him. To hear Jesus. That's where you start. If you're unfamiliar with this, hear Jesus. Read his words, read them slowly, read them regularly, read them expectantly. If you want to know what God sounds like and learn to tune your ear to his voice, slowly listen to how Jesus speaks. He is the clearest revelation of God. That he is the tone of God, he is the truth of God, he is the word of God. Let him speak to you. Open your Bibles and learn his voice. Read and then pray. Pray, speak like Elijah, speak to God. Communicate with him. Pour out your heart to him, cry out to him, call on his name, explain to him, God, today I want you to lead me. God, I'm open to it. I'll be getting on with glorifying your name and all that I do. That's enough. But if you need to guide me in that, if you need to lead me or shake me, would you bring it to mind? Would you guide me? Would you show me what I need to hear? And then simply be open. You may have been looking for something from God, something for God to say or communicate. Perhaps he doesn't need to because he's already told you. When you're burned out like Elijah, though, God won't always send fire, he won't always send ravens, he won't always send earthquakes, but God will always, always send his son. He will always, always meet you in the person of Jesus by his spirit. See that still small voice, it's not really about that. That still small voice has a name. His name is Jesus. He sends his son, his son is his voice, his son is his word, and he's not there to impress you, but he is there to invite you, to draw near to you as you draw near to him. Jesus said he would. Said he would never leave us, he would leave the Spirit, and the Spirit would repeat to us what Jesus has said. The Spirit would give us power and wisdom and insight and courage to do what he has told us to do. The Spirit would give us strength to do what he has said. The Spirit will enable us to listen and obey to God's word. And today I honestly I take no confidence in my words to you, but I take great confidence in that there is a God who might be speaking to you in them and through them, might be communicating and calling to you. And if you listen, maybe you will hear him. Perhaps today he will simply be saying something you already know, but you need to be reminded of. I'm here. I'm with you. I'll never leave you. You are not alone. I am enough. If you need any more advice or thoughts, I can say I'm more than happy. I spent a few years writing a dissertation about it because I wanted to get it right about what it means to hear God's voice. And that doesn't mean I'm any good at it, it just means I've read a lot of books about it. But there are insights, there are guidance. This is not something I know this strikes us with fear, and there are all sorts of people who've messed this up and abused this and used this to hurt people and dominate people. That isn't what we're talking about. There is something gentle about this, something authentic about it, something that we can step into, not to control God, not to use him, but because he is our Father who loves us, who says to us, I have a son for you who I love. Listen to him. And as we do that, we begin to hear his word. Like I say, don't, it's not audible. Perhaps it's a thought more often than not for me. It's when I open this book, it's when I read its words, when I let that I do it slowly and expectantly, that he speaks. But that then trains my heart for any any other way that God might be speaking. Today, simply being open, just checking. Just want to make sure that you haven't turned off. Just want to make sure that of all the voices that you're going to hear through the day, that you are open to hearing mine. Today that's where we're going to start. So in a moment, I'm going to pray. I'm going to ask God to work in us. To perhaps speak if there's anything to say, or to simply give us the courage to get on with what he's already said. And so, Father, we do come to you. We thank you that you are a God who does speak, not with noise or pressure, but with grace and love. Not to impress us, but to invite us. And so is your people, Lord, who want to be getting on. Some of us might be feeling like Elijah, tired, afraid, hiding in a cave. Would you call us to yourself, Lord? Would you draw near and as you whisper, let us know that you are close. We thank you, Lord, that you don't always have to shout to get our attention. Sometimes it's simply you waiting until we're still enough to listen. And so, Lord, would you speak to those who are tired or afraid or hiding? Would you speak to them your comfort and your love? Would you speak to them your strength and your renewal, your refreshing? For those Lord, who are zealous for you like Elijah and getting on with the work and perhaps feeling that it's all on them, would you come and speak to them? Would you share with their hearts that they are not alone? That all their zeal and all their passion, as wonderful as it is, doesn't mean that they have to carry the burden. Minister to them and strengthen them, that they may continue to run their race. And Father, we pray for those who perhaps would say that they don't know you. They've never known a God who would speak and call them by name. They've never come to a God who loves them with unending love. And while they may not have everything figured out, perhaps today they feel an invitation. They feel that sense that you are calling to them. That in their heart there is a whisper saying, Come home. Trust me. I am here. If that is you and God might be speaking to you, then I'd love to just lead you in a simple prayer. That you can pray quietly in your own heart or whisper it where you are. God can hear. It's a prayer to respond to what God might be saying. Maybe for the first time, or perhaps it's something you've fallen away from and God is calling you back. I'm just going to pray that prayer to respond to Him now. Father God, we thank you that you speak to me even in the quiet. We thank you that you love me and that you are calling me to yourself. Today, Father, I choose to stop running and to trust you. Forgive me, Lord. Lead me. Help me to follow you. I believe you are near, and I give you my heart. Amen. And so, Father, all of us, from the smallest to the greatest, Lord, every we live not by your bread alone, but every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. And we go as those who are brought into relationship with you. May we grow in familiarity with your Son. He is your voice, he is your word, he is your clearest revelation, he is the one who has spoken to our hearts and called us. He is our Savior, He is the Messenger of God. He is God in the flesh, in our hearts by his spirit. We thank you that we have him. And because we have him, we have enough. Lead us now, Lord. If there are things to be getting on with, remind us of them. If there are things that we have forgotten, bring them to mind. If there are ways that we need to be guided, would you speak, Lord? We have no doubt that you're able to. We pray these things in Jesus' precious name. Amen.

SPEAKER_02 42:03

We hope that you've enjoyed listening to Dean's thoughts today. If anything that he has said has challenged you or raised questions that you'd like answers to, please don't hesitate to contact us and ask for a chat. You can find our details on our website, which is leobc.co.uk, as well as on the information that we have posted with this podcast. Alternatively, if you live in our area, you're very welcome to join us on Sunday morning at 10 30 to hear things first hand. We'd love to see you there.