I am God
July 20, 2012 (Friday)
The story is told of a lady who had a mental breakdown. She lived in a world of her own for years, unable to communicate in a meaningful way with anyone. Her husband never forsook her, but became her constant companion, praying for her and giving her guidance and counsel, day after day for many years. One day she woke up, as if from a dream. “Where have I been?” she asked. “On a long journey,” her husband replied. “Where have you been?” she inquired. Through his tears of joy he said, “Right here by your side.”
At times in our lives we feel alone in the universe. When the trials and troubles come piling in upon us, we think life has become too hard to bear. “Where is God in all of this?” we cry. Like Jesus on the cross, we scream, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” But has he truly forsaken us, or are we on one of those “long journeys” of life, where the darkness is hiding the light from us? From one of those dark chasms of anguish, we wonder where God is. The truth is, He is right here by our side.
One of the greatest stories in the Bible is that of Elijah the prophet, who became exhausted and weary of of life. “Just let me die,” was his plea to God. Instead of doing what Elijah asked, he let him rest, gave him food, and words of encouragement. Then he took him to a cave high upon a mountain, and in that lofty classroom among the clouds, he revealed to him something he needed to see and hear. “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” (1 Kings 19:11-12 NIV). God had not forsaken His servant Elijah; he had been with him throughout his lonely trek through one of those spiritual valleys of life.
God made his presence known to Elijah through a gentle whisper. In order to hear it, Elijah needed to settle down and listen. The Lord is saying to you and me, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10 NIV). Listen. Hear that whisper?