“And he said, ‘Go forth and stand upon the mount before the Lord.’ And, behold, the Lord passed by and a great and strong wind rent 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, a still, small Voice.”

I Kings 19:11-12

So often when He speaks, He whispers. . .and when He knocks, it’s gently.

“And, after the fire, a still, small Voice.”

Wouldn’t you have liked to have been there that day to witness the events described in today’s Manna—or to at least have some audiotapes of the conversation between God and Elijah there in the mountain (vv.9-18)?

From the very beginning of recorded history (Gen. 1:1) and throughout the Old Testament we find God speaking to man. In fact, it’s interesting that all of creation (except man himself) came into existence by God’s speaking (Gen. 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24). Only in His creation of Adam and Eve did He get personally involved—i.e., “hands-on” (Gen. 2:7, 21-22).

It’s equally interesting the afternoon times of fellowship they enjoyed what is described as “the Voice of the Lord walking in the cool of the day” (Gen. 8). This is a somewhat difficult euphemism to understand until we realize the Hebrew word “ruwach” is used there for “cool” and basically means “wind, breath, blast, exhalation, etc.”

“Wherefore, as the Holy Ghost says, ‘Today, if you would hear His Voice’. . .”

Hebrews 3:7

Shhh. Be still and listen.

There. There. Did you hear it?

“What?” someone asks.

There. There it is again.

“What?” comes the question again.

You know:

His Voice.

Like the wind whispering in the boughs of a tree. . .or the quiet, lapping sound of the tide as it ebbs-and-flows on the seashore. . .so is the “still, small Voice of God” (I Kings 19:12b). And, only those whose heart is soft and attune to His quiet call will hear him (I Sam. 3:1-10).

How easily we mistake His Voice for “the sound and the fury” (I Kings 19:11-12a). Somehow we think He speaks only in mighty ways—forgetting He is the Perfect Gentleman who quietly knocks at our heart’s door (Rev. 3:20).

Or, we miss His Voice because we sit at the wrong place, much preferring the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (popular opinion, the latest philosophy, etc.) over “the tree of life” (God’s Word, the feet of Jesus).

“Drawn away by our own lusts” (James 1:14; I Jn. 2:16), we eat of the “forbidden fruit” (Gen. 2:9, 17; 3:1-6) of man’s wisdom, forgetting this leads to division, dissension, discord and death (James 1:15; 3:14-16). And, in so doing, we “harden our hearts, grieving His Holy Spirit, always erring in our ways by not knowing God’s ways” (Heb. 3:8-10).

Is it any wonder, then, that “wandering” and “restlessness” so accurately describe the “evil heart of unbelief” that no longer hears His Voice (Heb. 3:11-12)?

No, it’s no wonder.

That’s why we must “be still and know that He is God” (Ps. 46:10a).

We must “stay (Heb. ‘camak’—‘to prop upon, lean on or take hold of, rest upon, etc.’) our minds upon Him as we trust Him, for only in so doing will He keep us in perfect peace” (Is. 26:3).

Let others wax long and eloquently upon end-time events and conspiracy theories. Let others debate the ins-and-outs of theological issues and doctrinal differences. Listening too long to these will likely only leave us further confused and prone to despair.

“And when they were come to the multitude, there came to Him a certain man, kneeling down to Him and saying, ‘Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is lunatic and sore vexed—for oftentimes he falls into the fire and often into the water. And, I brought him to Your disciples and they could not cure him’. . .And Jesus rebuked the devil and he departed out of him—and the child was cured from that very hour. Then came the disciples to Jesus privately and said, ‘Why could not we cast him out?’ And Jesus said unto them, ‘Because of your unbelief’. . .”

Matthew 17:14-16, 18-20a

The two questions we must constantly ask ourselves are “Do I really believe what Jesus said?” and “Is He able?”

Jesus knew what He was doing when He said “Whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein” (Lk. 18:17). He knew a small child is both simple in his understanding and approach to things. . .and also quite trusting of those upon whom he/she is dependent.

In reality, the focus of today’s Manna is more upon the disciples’ lack of faith than it is upon the demon-possessed young man or Jesus’ Power to deliver him. And, if we’re honest, we’ll readily confess that we’re more often than not as powerless as the disciples were that day. That’s why Jesus’ words “Because of your unbelief” are so convicting and piercing even today.

We say we believe what Jesus said—but do we?

We say He’s Lord of our lives—but is He?

We say we’re living by faith—but are we?

“For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest you be wearied and faint in your mind. You have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.”

Hebrews 12:3-4

Continual contemplation of Him will lead to daily consecration of our lives.

That’s really the essence of today’s Manna: To “chew the cud” on Who Jesus is, His teachings and actions while here on earth. And, in so doing, His Presence will permeate our lives as His Power keeps us from being “wearied (Grk. ‘kamno’—‘to toil, tire, fainten, grow sick, etc.’) and faint (Grk. ‘ekluo’—‘to relax grip, break up, be destroyed, dissolve, melt away, crack, shatter into small pieces, etc.’) in your mind.”

Hmm. . .sounds like something we need, doesn’t it?

Most assuredly—especially in this day-and-age of multiple, incessant attacks upon what we believe and the Biblical values we hold dear as followers of Jesus Christ.

Now, as never before (because of our worldwide ability for information and communication), long-held Christian beliefs are being challenged and undermined. Even within the Church herself, members and even leaders are questioning the reality of and need for such bedrock beliefs as the authenticity, reliability and relevance of the Bible. . .the reality of sin and need for repentance. . .the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross, etc.

“. . .Who, for the joy that was set before Him, endured the Cross, despising the shame and is set down at the right Hand of the Throne of God.”

Hebrews 12:2b

Singular focus will result in inward joy, renewed joy and strength.

That which “awaits us” is always better than that “which is.” It’s no accident the anonymous author of Hebrews talked about the “two immutable things of God” and “an Anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast” in his words of exhortation and admonition to the struggling recipients of his letter (Heb. 6:17-20).

He knew they were about to “go down for the count” (Heb. 6:1-8) because of mounting persecution; yet, he reminded them that he was convinced they wouldn’t give up or give in (v.9). And, neither would “God forget their work and labor of love which they’d showed toward His Name in their ministering to the saints” (v.10).

And neither will He forget ours.

Isn’t that something we also need to remember today? Most assuredly so. Hallelujah!!

“Looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. . .”

Hebrews 12:2a

Forgetting this will leave us frustrated and feeling futile.

“Looking unto Jesus.”

Has there ever been a simpler solution for true serenity of soul? No, not at all. And, unlike other religions’ meditative practices where you seek to clear your mind of anything that distracts or focus in on one’s ritualistic requirements, this “hungering and thirsting soul” brings peace-of-mind and tranquility of heart (Mt. 11:28-30).

Some, like Marx, have called Christianity the “opiate (drug) of the people,” which dulls one’s senses to those things that are happening around them. In essence, as someone once said, it’s being “so Heavenly-minded that we’re no earthly good.” Or, as another person likened an attempt to escape from life’s harsh realities, it’s the proverbial position of “the ostrich with its head in the sand.”