If God communicated something personal and specific to you, would you hear Him? Are you open to receiving a word from Him? Most of us are inclined to say “Of course!” But is that really the case?
There is a great cartoon meme that shows a man complaining about God not speaking to Him, and God is handing a Bible to Him from heaven. Another shows a man surrounded by busyness and distraction — his Bible sitting on the corner of his desk — and he’s complaining about the same thing: God isn’t talking to him. At least not from this man’s point of view.
And that’s because God isn’t in that man’s view.
There is an interesting episode in the life of Elijah. It takes place right after his dramatic showdown with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Elijah has just experienced a great spiritual victory. He’s been vindicated publicly. He’s experienced a spectacular miracle and a vivid answer to prayer. And yet, in the very next chapter, he’s asking God to kill him.
Why? Because in I Kings 18, he’s on the top of the world (in some ways, literally). A genuine mountaintop experience. In I Kings 19, he’s in the wilderness, running for his life. Scared. Discouraged. Alone.
At least Elijah thinks he’s alone. Why? Because (just like the man in the cartoon) God wasn’t in his view.
In Philippians, Paul tells us repeatedly to “rejoice in the Lord.” Throughout the Psalms and in Proverbs, we’re told to “trust in the Lord.” Why? Isaiah says it plainly: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” (Isaiah 26:3, KJV).
In I Kings 18, Elijah was focused on God. He was at peace. In I Kings 19, Elijah took his focus off God. He was, as a result, not at peace.
The same is true for Peter. When his eyes were on the Lord, he could walk on water. When he took his eyes off the Lord, he sank.
I love I Kings 18 when God sent an angel to bring Elijah nourishment, and then a few verses later, we hear a great question from God: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” I won’t go into an exegetical or expository breakdown of the whole episode, but feel free to read I Kings 17 and 18. They are terrific chapters full of awesome lessons for all of us. But I do want us to think about that question…
“What are you doing here?”
Quite often, we don’t hear from God or sense His presence because we’re in the wrong place!
That “place” isn’t always a geographic location but often a state of mind or a direction in life. We’re in a place that’s either directly outside of God’s will or at least where our focus is not on God. As a result, we’re not experiencing Him.
Naomi didn’t experience healing from her grief and victory in her life with the Lord until she returned to the Promised Land — the place she was ultimately meant to be.
If you want to have an interactive relationship with God — where you communicate with Him and you experience Him communicating with you — then do the following:
- Have a relationship with Him.
- Be where God is.
- Keep your focus on Him.
- Trust in Him.
It really is that simple.
The question is: Will we do it?
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