We are all prone to not hearing God’s voice from time to time. Our past successes in hearing God are not a guarantee that we can always discern God’s voice clearly and accurately. This challenge is evident when we study the life of Isaiah who was the prophet of God.
And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” So he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”
Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the 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 still small voice. 1Kings 19: 9-12
Elijah was a bold and courageous prophet. He was the one who challenged the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (see 1 Kings 18:29-46) and was victorious in proving the one true God who is worthy of worship! In addition, after defeating the false prophets, he ensured that every prophet of Baal was executed. This action caused the famine in the land to cease, and God brought back the rain. Elijah had no problem hearing God’s voice clearly and executing His plan. However, after this great victory, Jezebel ( the Queen of Israel) sent a messenger to Elijah and threatening his life for killing all her prophets.
Elijah was shaken by Jezebel’s threats and ran into the wilderness for his life. The above scripture tells us that God approached Isaiah and asked him what he was doing. Elijah had been accurately hearing God, but Jezebel’s intimidation shook him to the point that he ran and hid. He even thought he was all alone in serving God. Elijah discouragement was so great that his fears eclipsed the voice of God. Isaiah was used to miracles, signs, and wonders, but, this time, God did not respond to Elijah with signs and wonders.
God was showing Elijah that he didn’t always speak in the wind, earthquake, and fire. This time God was going to touch Isaiah gently with His still small voice and speak to His prophet. Hearing the voice of God requires becoming still to discern His small voice. We need to slow down from our activities and make room for Him to speak to us. In addition, when we are anxious, it is very hard to hear the voice of the Lord. His voice is so gentle that it requires our attention and surrender.
The last few devotionals are a reminder that we can have the ability to hear God’s voice, but we can be influenced by pressure, pride, frustration, fear, and discouragement and not hear the Lord clearly. It is in those times, that we need to regain the peace of God before we can hear the voice of God!
