Be a disciple: Sensitive to the Holy Spirit

One prophet, two occasions of God’s working. 

Elijah is a gripping character whose life is a history of the incredible working of God.  Elijah was living in a time where the majority of people were indifferent to God and those who were faithful were, for the most part, keeping their faith hidden.  After a three year drought and the subsequent famine, Elijah was called to confront the wicked king Ahab and the prophets of his god Baal.  

You may recall the story.  If not, read I Kings 17-19. In short, there was a contest in which the deity that sent fire from heaven would be declared the true God.  In a drama that was both hysterical and brutal, Baal was proved to be a nobody, The Lord was proved to be God and the leadership of Baal worship was exterminated.  So, with a fantastic demonstration and the death of Baal’s priests, Elijah may have expected a national revival and return to the faith.  What he got was a death threat from a bitter, evil woman.  Frustrated by the whole situation, Elijah runs.  Here he sounds like us.  WE want to see revival and people turning to The Lord.  But we remain frustrated by the indifference and rot of our world.

Elijah ran away and had an unexpected encounter with God.  He was told to stand before the Lord.  “And behold the Lord was passing by!”  There was a tremendous wind, but The Lord was not in the wind.  Next, there was a violent earthquake; He wasn’t there either.  Following the earthquake there was a firestorm.  But still no God.  Then there was, “the sound of a gentle blowing,” literally “a still small voice” perhaps we could say a “fine calm whisper”.  The Lord was in the tiny sound.  Everything was different except for the circumstances, but circumstances don’t matter that much to God.

WE may want great, big, powerful events that can turn people to God-mega churches, stadium events, a landslide election of Christians into office.  We may want those things, but as disciples we need to be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  There are several things that keep us from being sensitive to the Holy Spirit, but that is a whole other series of lessons.  For the moment, what we most need is the DESIRE to hear and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit.  If we genuinely want His leading, and if we are willing to respond, He will make Himself known.  So, let’s begin this aspect of being a disciple by wanting and asking for the Holy Spirit to direct our lives.  Once we begin the practice of listening and obeying He will be easier to hear and our obedience can grow.