Peace in a Whisper

Isaiah 49:7 (NIV) This is what the Lord says—
    the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel—
to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation,
    to the servant of rulers:
“Kings will see you and stand up,
    princes will see and bow down,
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
    the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”

The Christmas Story is all about the promises of God being fulfilled. Throughout scripture we read of the Promised One who would come to redeem the world. In this chapter of Isaiah, God is promising to restore Israel and return the captives to their homeland someday. When God banishes us, when He sends us away or allows others to carry us away, there is always a promise of redemption. Jesus is that promise.

Christmas is much more than shopping, cooking, cleaning and preparing. It is more than filling our homes with decorations, setting up a tree and stacking the area below this tree with as many presents as our budget can accommodate. The true meaning of this holiday tends to get lost in all the excitement and caught up in the flurry of activities.

Even this message today is not focused, but disjointed. Thoughts of writing something that is meaningful, are all over the place. This writer can't seem to hone in on what is necessary to say. Our world is like this; flitting from one thought to another; jumping from this fad to that gadget. It is difficult to zero in on the one thing that truly matters.

The Christmas Eve sermon I heard sums it up for me, and perhaps will help you as well. The preacher had my attention when he read from 1 Kings 19 (a favorite of mine) and verse 11 and 12:

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.

The reason for Christmas, Jesus the Salvation of the World is not found in the midst of all the commotion of the holiday, but in the hearts of those who love Him. He is meant to be the Christmas gift to be shared with the world. He is the 'gentle whisper' we have all been waiting for.

Isaiah 49:1-7

The Story - Chapter 15 - 1 Kings 18-19

Life is challenging, but then if it were easy we would be bored.  It is the rise and fall of the road ahead that makes for an interesting journey.  It is when we find ourselves at the foot of the mountain that we look up.  It is when we are stuck in a deep hole, mired in a pit of junk that we pray life will improve.  Did you notice that it is when we are down low, we look up?

We spend lots of time wondering where God is. When tragedy strikes we ask the usual questions, "Why me?" or "God, where are you today?"  I wonder if God ever asks us, "Where were you when I wanted you to call to me?"  All too often we look for God in the major events of our lives and if we don't see Him or recognize His actions, we cry out in doubt and unbelief.

The truth is, God is everywhere and He is with us all the time.  He is present during all of our struggles.  He is walking in front of us through stormy weather; He is blazing the trail ahead of us if we only will look up long enough to see Him. The words in 1 Kings 19:12, "...And after the fire came a gentle whisper."

Elijah feared for His life and he was crying out for God to show up. Elijah was looking for Him in all the noise and clamor of the moment, But, God was not to be found there. God revealed His presence by a peaceful calming whisper. The soothing effect of someone speaking low is obvious, other sounds needed to be deadened, so we listen closer, perhaps shutting our own mouths to hear God's words.

1 Kings 19:11-12 (NIV)
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. 

God speaks to our heart all the time, but do we hear?  Is there so much other noise going on that we cannot hear the words we need to hear for us to have peace, for us to wrap our arms around hope?  It is important to listen for that gentle whisper.  It is important to "Be still..." (Psalm 46:10)

Read 1 Kings 18-19 here

Listen to 1 Kings 18-19 here

Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1

Bethlehem Ephrathah