Articles

An extract (copyright 2008 Mark Craythorn) is contained below

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but 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.

Elijah knew deep inside himself that the gentle whisper had come from God and now here was this voice at the mouth of the cave confirming it. God himself, the very creator, was asking Elijah what he was doing. It was not as if God did not know what Elijah was doing but the voice served to call attention to Elijah, to stop him in his tracks, and make him question exactly what he was expecting from God. Elijah didnt get what he expected. He had expected great and powerful things to come from God but all he got was a whisper, a gentle voice from above. It was a whisper and a voice that transformed Elijah and it is the same whisper and voice that will transform you.

The purpose of this is firstly to show you that you too can hear that whisper and that voice, and secondly to encourage you to speak to God, placing yourself in a position that will cause Him to speak back to you.

Before we get started on our journey you first you need to know that God still speaks clearly to people today. You see, if God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow then when we read about God speaking to Biblical figures such as Moses, Adam, Joseph and Elijah many, many years ago, it should come as no surprise to find out that He continues to speak to people today. God doesnt change. What He has done for others He can do for you.

Perhaps you didnt know that God is still in the business of speaking to people just like you? Perhaps you doubt that God could speak to you? Could it be that, possibly, no one has ever shown you how to listen to Gods still small voice, or could it be that you dont take the time to slow your life down to a place where you can stop and listen for Gods still small voice.

Perhaps God is speaking. Perhaps what is happening is that He is speaking to you and you are not hearing Him simply because you have tuned Him out, like one might turn a radio dial off the channel that it is broadcasting on. Perhaps to start hearing Him you simply need to get back on the correct channel.

Perhaps you are asking, why you dont see the evidence of Gods presence in this world that you are expecting to see? I am suggesting that perhaps to start seeing His hand in your life you simply need to be looking in places other than the earthquake and the fire. You like Elijah may initially have been looking in the wrong place.

I am going to suggest to you that what you need to do is to pause for a while in your busyness. Stop what you are doing, speak to God and wait for a reply. The reply may be immediate or it may take a while but if you expect God to reply then God Himself will come to you and will speak to you when you least expect it.

William is a very real person, a pastor, living outside Boston. He bought a book and didnt stop for one minute to think that God could be interested in something as small and mundane as him buying a book. Yet God was interested, very interested, and God prompted me living miles away in Columbus Ohio to send William an email. This is what I wrote to him:

From: Mark Craythorn [mailto:markcraythorn@hotmail.com] Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2006 11:48 AM To: William@xxxxxx.com

William, Did you buy a book yesterday? The Lord is speaking to me about you and a book. Blessings