First Kings 18 tells the story of the confrontation between the prophet Elijah and the prophets of the false god Baal. Through the action of Yahweh, Elijah is successful, and… things don’t end well for Baal’s prophets.

One would think that Elijah’s triumph over the false prophets would give him a sense of euphoria, or at least vindication that Yahweh had been affirmed as the one true God. However, immediately following his moment of triumph comes a time of great fear and rebellion. When Elijah’s life was threatened, he ran away and hid. “Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life,” (1 Kings 19:3).

Elijah was so discouraged that he wanted to die. “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” (1 Kings 19:4) God, however, was not finished with Elijah. God sent an angel to provide food and drink for the prophet and instructed him to travel to Horeb the mount of God (I Kings 19:8). Arriving at the mountain Elijah spent the night in a cave. It was there the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.” (1 Kings 19:9-10 emphasis added)

Talk about discouragement. Feeling alone and depressed. This is it. Elijah felt beyond hope.

The prophet was instructed to go and stand on the mountain for the Lord was about to pass by. “Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces 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 a sound of sheer silence.” (1 Kings 19:11-12 emphasis added)

Note the next verse: “When Elijah heard it” (1 Kings 19:13 emphasis added) Wait a minute! He heard silence? It was not in the cacophony of wind, fire, and earthquake, but in the silence that followed that Elijah heard the voice of God.

Yahweh assured Elijah that he was not alone. “I will leave seven thousand in Israel,” (1 Kings 19:18). Before Elijah could hear that word of affirmation he had to be still and listen to the screaming sound of silence. All of our protesting, complaining, and self-doubt does not open the way for God to speak to our needs and encourage our spirit. Psalm 46:10 puts it quite simply: “Be still and know that I am God!” The Common English Bible states it this way: “That’s enough! Now know that I am God!”

It’s not unusual for Christ-followers to feel alone and estranged from God. There are always those superficial people who insist that Christians should never be discouraged or depressed. “Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps” is a common expression.  It is unkind and insensitive. And, as the story of Elijah makes clear, unbiblical. Overall, it is a shameful response to hurting people and does not reflect the heart of God.

With the story of Elijah as background, I’d like to share some thoughts on practicing the presence of God and strengthening our relationship with God.

REFLECTION: Remember, it was in the sound of silence that Elijah heard the voice of God. If we expect to have communication with God, we have to be still and listen. Notice, that on two occasions, God gave Elijah the opportunity to express his concerns, fears, and frustrations. God is okay with a two-way conversation. God is willing to listen to the concerns that overwhelm us. But silence is necessary. If we want to have a genuine dialogue with God, we must put down the phone, take a break from social media and be willing to dedicate time to reflective silence.

In this hectic world of twenty-four hour news cycles, instant messages, and a barrage of emails it is often difficult to shut down, even briefly, the flood of demands on our time and thoughts.

Let me make this suggestion. Commit to memory a verse or passage of scripture that is especially meaningful to you. When the “sound and fury” of life is overwhelming lay down the phone, turn off the iPad, sit quietly, and focus your complete attention on repeating that word of Scripture. Repeat it over and over until you find the distractions of the moment are not quite as pressing as they were before. Give yourself permission to take a break from the demands of the day to sit quietly in the presence of God.

Remember the gift of Sabbath was itself a call to rest from the heavy demands of everyday life. “Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy. . .the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work” (Exodus 20:8-10) God designed times of rest and refreshing for worship and renewal. The writer to the Hebrews reminds readers, “a sabbath rest still remains for the people of God;” (Hebrews 4:9).

Take advantage of the rest that God intended.

REPENTANCE: (gr. metanoiā) Don’t be intimidated by the word. It means to change one’s mind or go in a different direction.

Again, look at Elijah. He spent quiet time in reflection, and frankly despondency. He expressed his disappointment and frustration in anguished words to God. God ministered to him through the intervention of an angel and spoke to him in the silence.

Elijah emerged from his time of reflection to change his attitude and his direction. “So, he set out from there. . .” 1 Kings 19:19. From his encounter with Yahweh, Elijah found new direction and purpose. He realized that he was not alone. God had not abandoned him. There was divine purpose and direction for his life.

In the screaming sound of silence, the prophet heard words of affirmation and hope. He received direction and purpose.

RECONCILIATION: Reconciliation has two foci. Paul expresses this well in the letter to the Corinthians. “God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, . . .and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

Reconciliation begins with God’s action in Jesus the Christ. In Christ, God offers the opportunity of forgiveness and the promise of new birth. The initiative is with God. We come to an awareness of that through reflection and repentance. Reflection allows us time to focus on the gracious gift of God in the Word that became flesh and in so doing demonstrating the very essence of God.

We reflect on God’s incredible, self-sacrificing love, and this reflection challenges us to change the direction of our lives. We are repurposed and redirected, like Elijah, to focus on God’s call on our lives and away from the self-absorption that enslaves us.

We listen in the “sheer silence” to the sound of God’s voice. We commit to change the direction of our lives intent upon a deeper relationship with God. We learn to love our neighbors, and even our enemies, more deeply and more Christ-like than ever before.

RENEWAL: Christ-followers possess an innate desire to be more like Christ each day. We need the screaming sound of silence to penetrate the tumult of each day. Reflection is essential to becoming more like Christ. We cannot become more like Christ apart from spending time in God’s presence. It simply cannot happen otherwise.

When we allow God space in our lives we become aware, like Elijah, that we need a course correction. We need to go in another direction. We humble ourselves in the presence of God, change direction, and thus are reconciled to God and our neighbors. Perhaps even our enemies.

Ultimately, this process renews, reestablishes, and reenergizes our relationship with God.