Learning to Listen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 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. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” And the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. 1 Kings 19:9-16

Intro: About six years before my dad died,

For some reason, that I don’t remember,
– I got the idea that it was really important for him to tell his life’s story
• there were already a lot of fictional stories regarding his life,
◦ and how he came to be the founder of a new church movement
• I suppose, that as his son, it was important to me,
◦ that people learned how God worked in his life to make him the man he was
– however, I knew that though dad was a gifted storyteller,
• he was not a writer, and would never find the time to produce an autobiography
◦ so I volunteered to be his ghost-writer, and he agreed
• I’m telling you this, because there’s something in his book I’m going to read

Dad explained that from his earliest memories,
– my grandmother constantly poured the Bible into his young mind
• in fact, she used the Bible to teach him to read before he entered kindergarten
• so in the first chapter of his story, Dad says,
“Every night Mom read from the Bible for our bedtime stories. Those biblical characters became my heroes. More than heroes, they were friends—people I knew and among whom I lived. I fought the Philistines with Samson and trudged through the wilderness with Moses. But most of all I ran with David.”
– because my dad’s life had been profoundly influenced by the Scriptures,
• my childhood was also saturated with the Bible
◦ in fact, when Grandma babysat us at night, she read the same stories to us
• over time, Elijah became one of my favorite characters
◦ later on, as a pastor and Bible teacher, he also became a fascination,
◦ because, of all the prophets, he was the most supernaturally gifted
(his and Elisha’s giftedness included miraculous wonders that resemble the ministry of Jesus than any of the other prophets)

The story of the Jesus Movement has become a fixture in the history of revivals in the U.S.

But one important factor that has been overlooked,
– and that’s because it doesn’t fit the tight form of rational explanations regarding historical events
• the hippie subculture was greatly influenced by what can go under the heading of “mind expansion”
◦ i.e., the exploration of alternate realities than our scientific, materialistic western worldview
◦ this included the experimental use of mind-altering drugs and eastern religions
• the people who were instrumental in the Jesus were mostly Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians
◦ their worldview included a supernatural realm already a present reality
◦ there were no doubts about the possibility of spiritual giftedness, insights, miracles, and so on
– I was raised with both the typical western worldview and a Pentecostal, biblical worldview
• but the openness of a spiritual consciousness got me wondering about biblical characters
◦ for instance, Elijah and Elisha, who enjoyed direct contact with God and an awareness beyond normal consciousness
◦ e.g., they had knowledge of events going on in distant places at the time they were happening
• this raised a question for me: was the ability to hear from God directly
◦ always a miraculous event, uncaused and unexplainable rationally?
◦ or, is there a natural ability in the human brain or nervous system that can open to another realm?
▫ if so, does it operate according to a “use it or lose it” principle?
(if we have it early in life, can it atrophy by an overwhelming immersion in a naturalistic worldview?)
▫ Elijah’s story was at the heart of my specific interest
– others were asking these same questions – even scientific studies using brain-wave mapping
• some of the research findings were published in Robert Ornstein’s , The Nature of Human Consciousness
◦ which I discovered and read in the late 1070’s
• I wish I could sat there are neat, solid answers to the questions I had at that time
◦ but there are not, and regardless of whatever else we learn about direct contact with a high realm,
◦ it will always require a bold faith to venture into it

Even still, there is much we can learn about hearing God from Elijah’s story

Elijah was fleeing for his life after being threatened by Queen Jezebel
– he had traveled many miles, finally reaching the desert of Sinai
• he collapsed under a tree (shaped like an umbrella), and begged God to end his life
◦ but God sent an angel to feed and refresh him
◦ the angel also directed him to Mount Horeb, where Elijah found refuge in a cave
• in the Old Testament, “the word of the LORD” is a technical phrase – most often used regarding the prophets
◦ the word of the LORD came to Elijah when his story begins (1 Ki. 17:2)
◦ but now, at Mount Horeb, it comes as a question, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
• that is, what is your intention here? or expectation? or purpose?
– Elijah’s answer makes him sound like a grumpy child
• God doesn’t immediately respond specifically to his answer
• instead, he tells Elijah to go look outside the cave
◦ doing so, he witnesses three impressive forces of nature

My first observation regarding improving our ability to hear God

What Elijah witnessed was first a wind so violent that like a tornado it tossed and smashed rocks
“but the LORD was not in the wind”
– that was not where Elijah was going to meet God or hear his voice
• next an earthquake, and then a firestorm, but the same thing, “the LORD was not in” either one
• any of these three phenomena would certainly get our attention
– if we imagine that hearing from God must be so forceful we could not miss it, we’re mistaken
(God’s word did not come to him through a powerful, natural force)
• if we think that God speaking to us will be something big, we may never hear him
◦ my friend, Fr. Romuald, once told me, “We have a saying, ‘Beware of the big!’”
◦ we’re likely to misuse it, or think we’re special, or use it to manipulate people, or to club them
• Jeremiah tells a short story that reveals something important about hearing from God

He begins, “The word of the LORD came to me,” and then tells a story about how God told him his cousin would would visit him with a request to use his right as the “kinsman redeemer” to purchase a property that was going to become available. Soon after receiving this word, Jeremiah’s cousin arrived and did exactly what Jeremiah had been told he would do. Immediately Jeremiah says, “Then I knew it was the word of the LORD.”

◦ we would never have guessed that a prophet needed a confirmation like this|
◦ the word of the LORD always seems to be so certain to them
– in this context, I’m going to say something that may sound odd and you may never have to deal with it,
• but don’t ever trust a prophetic voice merely because it speaks in King James English

God’s actual voice on this occasion was nothing more than “the sound of a low whisper”
(also translated: “the sound of a gentle blowing” and “a sound of a minute whisper”)

The sentence consists of three Hebrew words that could be translated “voice,” “gentle,” and “whisper”
– the obvious lesson, is even we hear God speak to us, we must use discernment
• but another important lesson is, if we’re going to hear God speak to us,
◦ we have to develop a sensitivity of hearing
◦ sometimes we will have to turn everything else off – shut out every other noise
– a key to tuning our brains to hear what God wants to tell us is focused attention
• exercising awareness in the moment – the here and now
◦ even if we can only quiet our minds and rest in awareness for a few seconds

There are other lessons in this story that may help us discern God’s voice

Elijah’s environment was far from comfortable
– it was desolate and foreign
• but rather than being a problem or difficulty, it eliminated many distractions

Sometimes fasting can be helpful
– a verse I quoted last week referred to a time when the Spirit spoke to spiritual leaders in Antioch
• but I didn’t quote the entire verse – what I left out was,
“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said . . .” (Acts 13:2)
◦ food can be a distraction
◦ but so can an empty stomach
• Elijah had not been fasting, but eating provisions God had given him
◦ gorging ourselves or filling our stomachs with junk food could probably interfere with hearing him
◦ a decent and moderate diet might be ideal in most instances

The environment where we go to listen is not unimportant
– Elijah was on the same mountain where Moses met with God and received his covenant law
• Jacob first met God at Bethel, and years later God told him to return there
• but a holy space can also be desecrated, or secularized, or abandoned by God
◦ and there are some places that will drown out any “sound of a low whisper”
– nature usually offers us the richest inspiration – but so can a piece of art
• and I will add the possibility of a specific type of music
◦ for instance, see the story regarding Elisha in 2 Kings 3:15-16
“‘But now bring me a musician.’ And when the musician played, the hand of the LORD came upon him. And he said, ‘Thus says the LORD . . . .’”

Intentionally opening our heart, mind, and body to God
– this may include classic biblical expressions such as:
• “seeking the Lord,” “waiting on or for the Lord,” and “watching’–noticing
• or closed eyes, lifting the hands, bowing or lying prostrate

Pay attention to what works for you
– but whatever is useful, make sure that you don’t get stuck in the doorway
• a threshold experience is something you move through
• the whole point is to get to the other side to hear, see, and experience what is there

Conclusion: There is definitely more here that could be useful to improve our listening skills

But we have enough for now
– there is only one more thing I want to point out, because I believe it’s important
God did respond immediately to what Elijah explains to him
Instead, he tells him, “Go” – and assigns him three tasks
Many times, when God speaks to us, a “Go” command will be included
“go, sell all that you have and give to the poor . . . and come, follow me” (Mk. 10:21)
“you go, and do likewise” (Lk. 10:37)”
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations . . . .” (Mt. 28:19)
So whenever the Spirit speaks to us, we need to prepare ourselves to respond

Now I will leave you with this word, from the prophet Isaiah:
“For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself any more, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when your turn to the right or when you turn to the left” (Isa. 30:19-21)