Being Passed By Or By-Passed
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Psalms 46:1
1 Kings 18 tells the miraculous story of how four hundred and fifty prophets were defeated by one man named Elijah. But then, one woman named Jezebel threatened to kill him, and he went into hiding. God found Elijah in a cave and 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, but the scriptures tell us that the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 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?”
God was in the whisper. A word came in the whisper and it would change everything in Elijah's life. Sometimes we think that when we're winning and doing great things in the Kingdom, that's when we're closest to God, but that's not where He passes by. He passes by where the earthquake is taking place. He passes by where the fire is burning. He passes by where the wind and the storm are blowing your life, and it seems like everything is out of control. Notice that an earthquake, a fire, and a windstorm hit, and that is where God says, “I am going to visit you and pass you by.”
We think God is near to us when everything's going right, but God often speaks to us in the hard times. If the wind is blowing in your life, keep your ears open, He's about to pass by. He's about to speak to you. There's a whisper coming. There's a word coming for people who've been in that frightening and lonely place. Maybe you are broken. Perhaps you have been in darkness and confusion. You may be lonely, afraid, and uncertain, but it is in those places where the Lord passes by you. Oftentimes, God will give a powerful whisper to you in those seasons.
No matter how far away you run, God sees you. He will never by-pass you.
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