Silence Is Golden

   Isolation!
   Most people are terrified when completely cut off from all other people.  Even men and women of great faith sink under the weight of isolation.  As painful, even destructive as being utterly alone can be, it is often when God’s people receive the wonderful gift of the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
   That’s what happened to Elijah.  He had the faith to believe that God would turn off heaven’s faucets and God gave no rain to the Kingdom of Israel for three years.  He believed in the authority of God’s Word for provision in times of famine and the power to raise a boy from the dead and both happened.  He had a God-given courage when he confronted, mocked, defeated and destroyed the 450 prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel.  On that very same day, God released torrential rains after Elijah’s prayer.  And then Elijah, well past his athletic prime, ran faster than King Ahab rode in his chariot to Jezreel (1 Kings 17-18).  
   It was, however, in those moments just after these incredible triumphs that Elijah’s stellar faith wilted.  When the prophet heard the death threat from Jezebel, the wicked wife of King Ahab, he hi-tailed it into the wilderness.  After he stopped running and sat down under a broom tree, he slid into the despair of loneliness and isolation.  He prayed—“O LORD, take away my life,” but God didn’t grant Elijah his request.  In fact, the Lord took him to a place of even greater isolation—Horeb, the mount of God.  (1 Kings 19:1-8)
   Elijah desperately needed to hear something from the Lord and he did.  And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.”  And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke 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.  And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.  And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. (1 Kings 19:11-12 ESV)
   One would think that the magnificent Lord of the Universe would speak by the howling wind, roaring fire or rumbling of the earth, but no!  It was in the still and quiet that the Lord spoke to Elijah words that reached down deep and spoke the needed message to the prophet’s heart.
   Don’t resist times of isolation.  Times of solitude and separation are a must!  Getting away from the noise of relationships and daily routines is necessary for the Holy Spirit to have a believer’s exclusive attention that allows Him to reveal clearly His specific plans and desires.
   The revelation of the Lord’s guidance is vital to Living by the Spirit.
   More to come!