Logos -- 1 Kings 19:1-15a

One of the lectionary readings for this week is 1 Kings 19:1-15a. It's the story of Elijah. He's afraid of Jezebel, and what she might do, so he runs away. He ends up in the wilderness, under a broom tree, fed and cared for by angels. Eventually, he travels to a cave, and experiences God's presence in the quiet.

He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is 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. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"Verses 11-13

There is a song that Chris Tomlin sung this weekend at Ichthus:

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God

He is indescribable, uncontainable, all powerful and untameable. Do we get that from this passage? I think in some ways, we do:

1. Do you think Elijah was surprised that God was not in the wind or the earthquake, but was instead in the silence? I think that perhaps Elijah would describe God as indescribable, if that makes any sense. I think he expected to find God in the wind, the fire or the earthquake.
2. Is it contradictory to say that only an all powerful God could be noticed in silence? At Ichthus, the announcer for the concerts asked us, at a point between concerts, to stop. Just to stop, wherever we were in the area. This very noisy, busy main stage area became quiet. No one moved as the announcer prayed for a police chief who had been killed in Prestonsburg, Kentucky. It was a powerful moment, and the presence of God could be felt.
3. There is a seen at the end of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, when Aslam is walking away. "He is not a tame lion." God is untameable. He does not fit into our nicely defined structures. Maybe we would expect him to be in the earthquake or the fire. Instead, he appears in silence, untamed and unpredictable.

In this passage, we are reminded that God is beyond our control. Thank God!

Image: This was taken from the car on the way to Annual Conference two weeks ago. Imagine how beautiful it would be in the fall.