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| The "new-to-us" old, cream-colored station wagon, my little sisters
and me.
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"Dad, the car is on fire."
I will never forget those words from a still, small voice....
When I was six, we rolled our truck and trailer just south of the Canadian/US border. Because we were without a vehicle, a lovely family in Montana gifted my parents with an old, cream-colored station wagon. After a time, we got a new travel trailer to replace the one we had totaled.
Back on the road we went, with our new "mobile home" being towed behind our "new-to-us" cream-colored station wagon. At the best of times, towing a 25' travel trailer with an old station wagon would not be a great idea, but add to that: eight people, the extra weight in the trailer...and let me tell you....there WAS extra weight. My dad did not believe in traveling light. He thought the trailer was his mobile office, not his mobile home. We would be weighted down with typewriters, tape recorders, books, papers, a megaphone, a soapbox, and the list goes on.
Somewhere near Pierre, North Dakota, my brother Joel and I were sitting at the very back of the station wagon with our backs resting against the tailgate. We were talking about this and that, or we were playing one of our many invented travel games. Joel was a very easy going kid. He was definitely the calm one of our bunch. He always spoke in a very measured tone, and nothing ever seemed to rattle him. The rest of us, on the other hand, could have a bit of a flare for the dramatic.
As we cruised down the highway, Joel stated, "Dad, the car is on fire." His delivery was so calm and quiet, that at first it didn't really register. Apparently it didn't register with my dad either, because we just kept on cruising down the highway. Then Joel repeated himself. "Dad, the car is on fire."
Still, it was the same calm, measured tone. Then a third time...this time I looked....so did my mum. Sure enough, there were flames shooting up from underneath the station wagon, curling up to the top of the car roof. I screamed, "DAD!!!! THE CAR IS ON FIRE!!!!"
At the same time my mum was yelling, "MAX!!!!! THE CAR IS ON FIRE!!!!!"
The next few moments were a panicked, chaotic jumble. As soon as we pulled over to the side of the road, Mum and Dad both leaped into action. Dad was trying to disconnect the car from the trailer, while Mum tried to put the fire out....without a fire extinguisher, as we didn't have one. Virgil, Jonathan, and I, with varying levels of panic, quickly removed ourselves from the imminent danger of a flaming station wagon.
In contrast, Joel calmly went about getting my one and three year old little sisters, who were still in the car, out of the car and out of harms way. Not once in the midst of the chaos did he become panicked or upset. He just stayed constant and determined to finish his task of getting his message through, and help take care of those he loved and felt were his to protect.
Thinking of this reminded me of another time....
A couple of years later my brother Rob, who was about twenty-two or twenty three at the time, was visiting us in Texas. He and my brothers, Virgil and Joel, were out in the yard playing catch. I was watching from the sidelines. During the game of catch, Jonathan came up and tugged on Rob's arm.
"Just a minute, Jonathan." Patiently Jonathan waited. After a few moments he again tugged on Rob's sleeve. "Just a minute, Jonathan." This back and forth went on for a few more moments, with Rob finally getting a bit frustrated with Jonathan's quiet persistence. So the final time it was, "Whaaat, Jonathan?!!"
"Ummmm, Robbie, I just wanted to tell you the yard is on fire, and it's burnin' up."
Dad had been burning some trash, and an ember had landed on our very dry grass and ignited a grass fire in our yard. Dad had assigned Jonathan guard duty to sound the alarm if there were any issues. Jonathan had done just that. He had tried to sound the alarm to prevent disaster in the calm of his small voice.
When he was finally heard, the responding action was instantaneous. Rob sprang into action, directing us kids, while he tried to douse the flames with a water hose. Other than some very black grass, everything turned out just fine.
Thinking of these stories made me think about how often the Lord is speaking to me, but sometimes I go along oblivious to it, because I am either wrapped up in something going on around me or within myself. Or there are the times I am waiting for flashes of lightening or rolls of thunder.
I think often times we pray about things, and then expect God to guide us or direct us in a big, booming way, with big neon road signs, or a sky-writing plane, telling us what direction we need to take or what we need to do. We want God to reveal things to us in a larger than life manner. We pray and ask for His guidance, or to be able to feel His presence in our lives, but then we are sure we have not heard from Him, because maybe His answer was not what we expected at all, but instead His answer was with a still, small voice.
Elijah is a perfect example for us. He could recognize the big, booming voice of God...
In 1 Kings, we see miracle upon miracle worked by God through Elijah. This guy had very open, audible communication with the Lord. This is the same Elijah who had prayed and in answer to his prayer, God had closed up the heavens so no rain fell on the nation of Israel for three and a half years.
In 1 Kings 18 and 19, Elijah had just seen God work in a mighty way against the false prophets of Baal. Elijah didn't just see God work, he had been used as God's instrument to bring it about. Elijah called down fire from heaven onto the alter he had prepared. He then proceeded to destroy 300 prophets of Baal. None of this was of or by his own power. It was all the power of God, using a willing vessel. If you haven't visited this event in the Bible lately, I highly encourage it. It cracks me up EVERY time I read it. I love Elijah's taunts to the prophets of Baal. Priceless.
Because of Elijah's part in it, Jezebel declared her intent to kill him. Elijah went into a tailspin, allowing his fears to overtake him. He ran away and hid in the wilderness. Remember, this is the same guy who just slaughtered three hundred prophets of Baal.
Elijah felt helpless and hopeless. He felt alone. He prayed for the Lord to take his life. While he slept, the Angel of the Lord came to answer his prayer. He came to care for him and sustain his life, not to take his life. The Angel of the Lord brought him food and water. The Lord woke him and told him to eat. He did and then went back to sleep. Elijah was still struggling emotionally.
Again, the Angel of the Lord came to Elijah, still in answer to Elijah's prayer. Again he brought him food and told him to eat, because the journey was too much for him. Elijah ate and then struck out on a journey into the wilderness for forty days. His only sustenance was what the Angel of the Lord had fed him and given him to drink.
Elijah's journey took him to the Mountain of the Lord, Mount Horeb.....also known as Mount Sinai. Here Elijah took up residence in a cave. The Lord came to him, and asked him what he was doing there. Elijah basically told the Lord he was hiding out, because he was all alone, and his life was being sought. Even with all the evidence Elijah had witnessed of the greatness of God, he still had fears, doubts, depression, and loneliness. He was not alone, because God was with him, but he felt lonely. Even though he had been cared for and nourished by God, he still felt lost and alone.
Here is what the Lord told him....
So He said, "Go forth and stand on the mountain before the LORD."
And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking 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.
After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave.
And behold, a voice came to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
1 Kings 19:11-14
Still, it was the same calm, measured tone. Then a third time...this time I looked....so did my mum. Sure enough, there were flames shooting up from underneath the station wagon, curling up to the top of the car roof. I screamed, "DAD!!!! THE CAR IS ON FIRE!!!!"
At the same time my mum was yelling, "MAX!!!!! THE CAR IS ON FIRE!!!!!"
The next few moments were a panicked, chaotic jumble. As soon as we pulled over to the side of the road, Mum and Dad both leaped into action. Dad was trying to disconnect the car from the trailer, while Mum tried to put the fire out....without a fire extinguisher, as we didn't have one. Virgil, Jonathan, and I, with varying levels of panic, quickly removed ourselves from the imminent danger of a flaming station wagon.
In contrast, Joel calmly went about getting my one and three year old little sisters, who were still in the car, out of the car and out of harms way. Not once in the midst of the chaos did he become panicked or upset. He just stayed constant and determined to finish his task of getting his message through, and help take care of those he loved and felt were his to protect.
Thinking of this reminded me of another time....
A couple of years later my brother Rob, who was about twenty-two or twenty three at the time, was visiting us in Texas. He and my brothers, Virgil and Joel, were out in the yard playing catch. I was watching from the sidelines. During the game of catch, Jonathan came up and tugged on Rob's arm.
"Just a minute, Jonathan." Patiently Jonathan waited. After a few moments he again tugged on Rob's sleeve. "Just a minute, Jonathan." This back and forth went on for a few more moments, with Rob finally getting a bit frustrated with Jonathan's quiet persistence. So the final time it was, "Whaaat, Jonathan?!!"
"Ummmm, Robbie, I just wanted to tell you the yard is on fire, and it's burnin' up."
Dad had been burning some trash, and an ember had landed on our very dry grass and ignited a grass fire in our yard. Dad had assigned Jonathan guard duty to sound the alarm if there were any issues. Jonathan had done just that. He had tried to sound the alarm to prevent disaster in the calm of his small voice.
When he was finally heard, the responding action was instantaneous. Rob sprang into action, directing us kids, while he tried to douse the flames with a water hose. Other than some very black grass, everything turned out just fine.
Thinking of these stories made me think about how often the Lord is speaking to me, but sometimes I go along oblivious to it, because I am either wrapped up in something going on around me or within myself. Or there are the times I am waiting for flashes of lightening or rolls of thunder.
I think often times we pray about things, and then expect God to guide us or direct us in a big, booming way, with big neon road signs, or a sky-writing plane, telling us what direction we need to take or what we need to do. We want God to reveal things to us in a larger than life manner. We pray and ask for His guidance, or to be able to feel His presence in our lives, but then we are sure we have not heard from Him, because maybe His answer was not what we expected at all, but instead His answer was with a still, small voice.
Elijah is a perfect example for us. He could recognize the big, booming voice of God...
In 1 Kings, we see miracle upon miracle worked by God through Elijah. This guy had very open, audible communication with the Lord. This is the same Elijah who had prayed and in answer to his prayer, God had closed up the heavens so no rain fell on the nation of Israel for three and a half years.
In 1 Kings 18 and 19, Elijah had just seen God work in a mighty way against the false prophets of Baal. Elijah didn't just see God work, he had been used as God's instrument to bring it about. Elijah called down fire from heaven onto the alter he had prepared. He then proceeded to destroy 300 prophets of Baal. None of this was of or by his own power. It was all the power of God, using a willing vessel. If you haven't visited this event in the Bible lately, I highly encourage it. It cracks me up EVERY time I read it. I love Elijah's taunts to the prophets of Baal. Priceless.
Because of Elijah's part in it, Jezebel declared her intent to kill him. Elijah went into a tailspin, allowing his fears to overtake him. He ran away and hid in the wilderness. Remember, this is the same guy who just slaughtered three hundred prophets of Baal.
Elijah felt helpless and hopeless. He felt alone. He prayed for the Lord to take his life. While he slept, the Angel of the Lord came to answer his prayer. He came to care for him and sustain his life, not to take his life. The Angel of the Lord brought him food and water. The Lord woke him and told him to eat. He did and then went back to sleep. Elijah was still struggling emotionally.
Again, the Angel of the Lord came to Elijah, still in answer to Elijah's prayer. Again he brought him food and told him to eat, because the journey was too much for him. Elijah ate and then struck out on a journey into the wilderness for forty days. His only sustenance was what the Angel of the Lord had fed him and given him to drink.
Elijah's journey took him to the Mountain of the Lord, Mount Horeb.....also known as Mount Sinai. Here Elijah took up residence in a cave. The Lord came to him, and asked him what he was doing there. Elijah basically told the Lord he was hiding out, because he was all alone, and his life was being sought. Even with all the evidence Elijah had witnessed of the greatness of God, he still had fears, doubts, depression, and loneliness. He was not alone, because God was with him, but he felt lonely. Even though he had been cared for and nourished by God, he still felt lost and alone.
Here is what the Lord told him....
So He said, "Go forth and stand on the mountain before the LORD."
And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking 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.
After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave.
And behold, a voice came to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
1 Kings 19:11-14
The Lord was making a point here. He had been answering Elijah, gently and quietly, but not in the awesome, unmistakeable way Elijah must have been looking for. So the Lord gave Elijah an object lesson. Yes, the Lord can use mighty and awesome wonders to make His presence known and to give us direction. He can use a great, strong wind that can rend mountains and break rocks. He can use an earthquake, or a fire. But don't miss it when He is speaking to you in a still, small voice out of a gently blowing breeze.
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