In the Whisper

It seems that everything nowadays is in competition with everything else. Louder! Bigger! Stronger! But, God doesn't need to compete. He's already God.

Dr. Perry Gilmore is always telling fun stories about 'the genius in the family.' We all have one... someone who 'discovered nuclear fission' or some such thing. (My family has around 20!) They don't need to go around talking about it, because... first of all, we wouldn't understand and secondly, we already know they're genius! And the thing about God is it's not even just with intellect that He wins out. He's all-knowing, all-loving, all-powerful, all-everything! He wins on every accounts, so God can use the quiet send his knowing, loving and powerful messages... just like in these examples from today's readings.


Whispered Guidance

11 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?" -1 Kings 19:11-13

It's a familiar story, and perhaps if we think about it a little this morning we can allow it to surprise us. I mean, we normally think of the wind as quiet, don't we? Why wouldn't God be in the wind? And isn't there another scripture where God is compared to the wind, because you can't see Him? Some context might help us understand. We're dealing with the desert here, so now living in Arizona has given me some perspective. Just the other day we didn't have any 'ordinary' wind. We had massive, knock you down, palm tree bending wind! That's wind that you can feel and hear... not quiet at all.

I also think of the Wizard of Oz... because he had no real power, he hid behind a curtain and had smoke and huge images to impress. Instead, our God is a real and awesome God that doesn't need to be announced on a loudspeaker (although He deserves much more), who doesn't need cymbal and trumpets to declare that He is the great I Am.

A whisper is all that is needed to recognize the true presence of the Lord. And again I wonder about the whispers I've been hearing in my sleep. I pray Lord, that You may come again in a whisper and give me your guidance like that you gave to your servant Elijah so long ago. Perhaps you are telling me what you told him so long ago, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" What am I doing here? I pray to feel your renewed purpose, a focus on You... that that may be what I am doing here always, wherever 'here' may be.


Whispered Call

19 So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. 20 Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. "Let me kiss my father and mother good-by," he said, "and then I will come with you."
"Go back," Elijah replied. "What have I done to you?"
21 So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his attendant. -1 Kings 19:19-21

This continuation of the story of Elijah surprised me this morning. God's advice was to go and appoint Elisha, which we see him doing here. But we don't even hear any words. From reading this it even seems that Elisha was the one that did the running after Elijah.

And it almost seems odd compared to Luke 9:62, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." To a certain extent Elisha was allowed to go back. But then, he slaughtered his oxen and burned the plow. There would certainly be no looking back to his plowing days after that. It reminds me of the many other cases where disciples were told to sell all they had and follow Jesus. But again, this is a case where we see no angels and hear no explicit call. We only know that something (perhaps a quiet whisper) so greatly touched Elisha that he was willing to radically change his life for the power of that whisper.


Whispered Justice

Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. 2And they began to accuse him, saying, "We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ,[a] a king."

3So Pilate asked Jesus, "Are you the king of the Jews?"
"Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.

4Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no basis for a charge against this man."

5But they insisted, "He stirs up the people all over Judea[b]by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here."

6On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean. 7When he learned that Jesus was under Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.

8When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle. 9He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. 11Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. 12That day Herod and Pilate became friends—before this they had been enemies.

13Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, 14and said to them, "You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. 15Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. 16Therefore, I will punish him and then release him."[c]

18With one voice they cried out, "Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!" 19(Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)

20Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. 21But they kept shouting, "Crucify him! Crucify him!"

22For the third time he spoke to them: "Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him."

23But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. 24So Pilate decided to grant their demand. 25He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will. -Luke 23:1-25

In included the whole passage I read in Luke today to emphasize the contrast I see in the loud shouts of the people and the quiet whispers of Jesus. Notice how the people feel the need to shout, to accuse, to ridicule, to mock, to demand. The list goes on. This happens throughout history, and oftentimes it's on the wrong side of justice.

Notice that Jesus feels no need to shout. He calmly answers that he is King of the Jews, when surrounded by people who are shouting at him, mocking him, ridiculing him, accusing him. Now that's some impressive composure! Pilate and Herod also refuse to convict Jesus and don't find him guilty of any crime, amidst the crying and shouting of the crowd. Perhaps the quiet whisper of true justice has reached their ears. But we know the end of the story, the crowd wins out... and it was the plan that they wouldn't hear the whisper, at least not yet... not until the completion of the story.


So I pray today that we may listen for God through our goings and comings... knowing that it may not be in a flash of lightning or a cloud of smoke that we see or hear God's will for our lives. Instead, let's listen, let's quiet ourselves enough to listen for the whisper of a God so amazing, so wonderful, so loving, so powerful, that He only needs a whisper to express all of that.