What if the most important messages arrive with a whisper?

Certainly true for Elijah. After a major confrontation with a cohort of Baal’s prophets, Elijah fled into the wilderness. There he waited for a word from God.

First a tornado tore through the neighborhood. Then an earthquake rattled Elijah’s teeth. Next a massive fire. How long did this prelude take?

Finally, a whisper. Some commentators say the word actually means a profound silence.

God speaks in whatever way God chooses. Just a few days before, Elijah watched the Lord shoot a pillar of fire from heaven and gloriously confirm his presence. But this day, Elijah required a whisper.

If the Lord indeed whispers, I wonder if my mind ever settles down enough to hear? Where exist the silent places in my day? I fill time with the clatter of channel surfing and sports watching and politics hawking, along with silent finger swipes toward random photos and rabbit-hole reading.

How many minutes spent in reflection? How much time with a quiet mind?

Not enough.

If God whispers, then stretches of quiet and stillness and patience are required to even begin to think about hearing.

I think I’ll leave my phone upstairs for the rest of the day.

I Kings 19 in week twenty-nine of reading the Bible cover to cover

Photo by Andraz Lazic

The cabins at the retreat center sat way up in the woods. When I arrived, I carried my bag along the winding trail, criss-crossed by thick tree roots, and thought, “wow, this is a cool place!” I dropped my stuff and headed to dinner.

Later that night, after our evening meeting and dessert, I walked back to our cabin with a couple of students. No lights marked the path, no moon rose, and no stars shone through the clouds. The way up to the cabin felt like a tunnel. The pleasant stroll of early afternoon turned into a comedy of stubbed toes, near falls, and branches to the face.

The students with me laughed, then cursed, then apologized (I was a campus minister, after all—although my lack of profanity barely masked my frustration). We tossed around the idea of going back and sleeping in the meeting room. Years before mobile phones, no handy lights sat at our fingertips.

Finally, a well-prepared student appeared with a flashlight. After laughing at us (it was a college student retreat, you know), he led us up the path, now easily navigated with a small beam of light.

I think of this incident every time I read Psalm 119:105, Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.

Our world throws shades at you and me every day. I stumble and curse as I navigate dark pathways. But then I remember the lamp provided by the Lord. His light—His Word—illuminates, clarifies, and comforts.

It’s an easy truth for me to forget, so it’s wonderful to re-discover that His light glows, waiting for me to open my soul in the darkness.

Psalm 119 in week twenty-nine of reading the Bible cover to cover

Photo by Steve Halama

Jude spared no ammo when comparing false teachers who infected local churches to bad characters in the history of the scriptures.

First, the false teachers have taken the way of Cain. The first person born into this world, he murdered his brother over sacrificial jealously. These false teachers killed the souls of others through their errors.

Next, the false teachers rushed for profit into Balaam’s error. Taking payment to curse the nation of Israel, Balaam heads a long line of religious leaders—no shortage of which we find today—who fleece the flock for personal gain. In the same tradition, these false teachers hoped to fill their pockets with cash.

Finally, the false teachers have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion. If you remember, Korah led a rebellion against Moses in the wilderness, and as his punishment, the earth opened its mouth and swallowed him and everything belonging to him (Numbers 16:32). According to Jude, these false teachers face the same journey to the center of the earth.

Strong condemnation for those leading sincere believers to false beliefs about the Lord, and on to misguided practices in their faith. Note to self—be careful in what I teach.

Jude’s final words reveal how to respond and persevere under the onslaught of distorted teaching. Pray in the Holy Spirit…keep yourself in God’s love…be merciful to those who doubt (Jude 20-23). Even as bad teaching swirled, Jude encouraged mercy and dependence on the Lord among the faithful.

Keep the faith.

Jude in week twenty-eight of reading the Bible cover to cover

Photo by Marc Szeglat

When I pray, I want my answers immediately. Just like when I put my money into a vending machine, I want my candy bar asap.

In light of that, I find myself enjoying Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18). Initially, I laugh at Elijah taunting the Baal-ites as they jump around and slash themselves and cry to an empty sky. The mockery and trash-talking adds a piece to my religion I usually enjoy elsewhere.

But with a longer look I notice something else—three different types of answers to the prayers offered up in the story.

First, the prophets of Baal pray with intensity and fervor, for hours and hours, even harming themselves in the process. No answer—no god exists to answer.

Second, Elijah asks God to answer him, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again. BOOM! The fire of God rains down and everyone falls on their faces.

Third, after the explosion on the mountaintop, the Lord delivered rain to quench a severe drought. Even then, the heavy clouds took their time in rising from the sea and covering the land. Finally, the Lord answered the years-long prayers of thirsty people with life-sustaining rains.

What do I learn from this story? Obviously, I prefer fiery answers to my prayers—immediate, dramatic, final. However, since I’ve never experienced fire from heaven, I’m also quite happy with answers to my long running prayers. Like water on parched ground, relief and joy spread through my soul.

Approaching God like a vending machine uncovers my bad beliefs about prayer. Trusting the Lord of the Universe to work, in his time (which still takes forever, in my opinion), reflects the way the Lord worked for Elijah, and the way the Lord continues to work today.

I Kings 18 in week twenty-eight of reading the Bible cover to cover

Photo by Max LaRochelle