“THE LORD PASSED BY!”

 1 Kings 19:8-12                                         (KJV)

“8 And he (Elijah) arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of GOD. 

9 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and HE said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?

10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD GOD of hosts: for the children of Israel have FORSAKEN THY covenant, THROWN DOWN THINE altars, and SLAIN THY prophets with the sword; and I, EVEN I ONLY, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

11 And HE said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, “THE LORD PASSED BY”, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks 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 STILL SMALL VOICE.

13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came A VOICE unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

14 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD GOD of hosts: because the children of Israel have FORSAKEN THY covenant, THROWN down THINE altars, and SLAIN THY prophets with the sword; and I, EVEN I ONLY, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

For this humble servant, hearing from THE LORD in A STILL SMALL VOICE has to be one of the most cherished spiritual blessings that one can experience.  But for Elijah, who had been abandoned by all Israel, knowing that ALMIGHTY GOD was precisely WHERE HE needed to be, WHEN HE needed to be there, was medicine that his soul needed to SEE!

The COMFORT that THE LORD can give, even in the midst of chaos, is beyond description.  Even though “THE LORD PASSED BY”, and a GREAT and STRONG WIND rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks 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: and after the earthquake A FIRE; but the LORD was not in the FIRE: and after the fire A STILL SMALL VOICE.”  GOD was present in the storms Elijah survived, but HE made HIMSELF known to Elijah NOT IN A STRONG WIND, and NOT IN AN EARTHQUAKE, and NOT IN THE FIRE, but in a STILL SMALL VOICE!  

“THE LORD PASSED BY” but Elijah couldn’t SEE HIM during the calamities he was witnessing.  Elijah had to endure the storms of life and then the STILL SMALL VOICE was manifested to him by GOD.  ALMIGHTY GOD was there all along, but Elijah felt as though he was EVEN I ONLY standing for TRUTH!  

How many times do I feel like I am in a battle ALL ALONE, or EVEN I ONLY is fighting this fight?  From time to time I have to have “THE LORD PASSED BY” outside of the catastrophes of life and speak to me in a STILL SMALL VOICE to calm my SPIRIT letting me KNOW that HE IS IN CONTROL, even through the calamities of life!   GOD is ALWAYS with me (Matthew 28:20), sometimes I just have to get away from “this world” and listen for HIS STILL SMALL VOICE as “THE LORD PASSED BY”!!!