Splendor and Majesty – Be Still and Listen

Have you ever felt like Elijah? Alone, dejected, fearful?

And the word of the Lord came 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, “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. ¹² After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. ¹³ 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?” I Kings 19:9-13

Have you ever gotten yourself worked into a frenzy just to get shaken back down to reality? I think that is kind of what happened with Elijah here. He was afraid. He ran to the desert then to the mountains and landed in a cave, sure that he was the lone believer in God left in the world and that everyone was after him to kill him. 

God used the wind, an earthquake, and a fire to get his attention and THEN He spoke very gently and quietly to Elijah, giving him direction for what he was to do next. 

Sometimes, I think I would like it if God spoke that clearly to me. And then I remember, He has. Through Scripture, His Special Revelation, and through His creation, His General Revelation. It is up to me to be still and listen; to respond; to worship.

Our culture has ruined the art of being still and drinking in the goodness of God through unplugging and listening to nothing but the birds, the crickets and frogs, the rain, the wind, and the waves, through taking a day off from the crazy and reading Scripture that declares His glory over and over again.  He made all of this for us and invited us to enjoy it with Him

Even Jesus went away to commune with the Father and to be recharged for the next leg of His journey. 

What does God have to do to get our attention?

Was COVID 19 enough?

Were the subsequent earthquakes, fires, tornadoes, and riots enough?

Just like God spoke to Elijah, He has spoken to us. He tells us we are never alone; “I will never leave you or forsake you” Hebrews 13:5) And that He is enough: “Lord you are my portion” Lamentations 3:24) and that He will walk through the water and fire with us. Isaiah 43:2-4

“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
    I have called you by name; you are mine.
² When you go through deep waters,
    I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
    you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
    you will not be burned up;
    the flames will not consume you.
³ For I am the Lord, your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.“

Take a minute and enjoy Nicole Mullins’ song, “I Know My Redeemer Lives”

Isaiah 55:3a Incline your ear and come to me; hear that your soul may live… He has spoken to us. It is up to us to listen.

Dear Heavenly Father, Please allow our eyes to be open to your wisdom and words through every gift of creation you have given us. 

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My name is Keri Willis. I am a semi-retired educator. I spent a great deal of my career working with adults with developmental disabilities and many years in elementary education, in the classroom and as an administrator. My main ministry now is coordinating the women’s ministry for our church in San Diego, CA. I have been married thirty-four years and have two grown and married children. I now have a head of full grey hair and good ideas.
I believe we are created to use our gifts and to be creative. That comes in many forms for me. I love to woodwork and use power tools, design, decorate, garden, and create new recipes. And I love to write. One major lesson I have learned in my writing journey is that I need to be still and listen to hear God’s voice before I am prepared to put into words the message he has instilled in my heart. This has been much easier since I am no longer working full time, but it is so easy to get distracted and not listen, which almost always ends with an empty page in the form of writer’s block.
While I have written many articles for newsletters and local newspapers, I did not consider myself a writer until I self-published my first book, Teapots and Power Tools. https://www.amazon.com/Teapot…/dp/1466458763/ref=sr_1_3…
The idea emerged as I was working on a project in my garage. I had worship music playing, power tools out and saw dust flying. I glanced up and saw my delicate teapot sitting on my router table. The message was clear. Sometimes we are using the power tools God gives us and sometimes he just wants us to be still and have tea with him. The book became the foundation for a women’s retreat, and then my amazing niece helped me work through publishing it on Create Space (now KDP).
At least five other projects are in different stages of production. I joined hope*writers to help motivate me and keep me focused and accountable. I am still trying to figure out the whole website and blog thing. That is my next goal for myself; that and finish writing at least one of my projects!
Teapots and Power Tools: Effectively using the tools God has equipped you with, while taking time to “Be Still and Know That He is God”
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