That Fiasco on the Mountain -- How to Hear God's Voice

The fiasco on the mountain was truly a pathetic scene. Desperate to prove the superiority of their false god, the prophets of Baal worked themselves into a frenzy. They danced. They sang. They called out. 

After hours of such nonsense, Elijah’s patience with their theatrics wore thin. He began to taunt them. "Shout louder!" he said. "Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened" (v. 27) 

Humiliated, the prophets renewed their efforts to attract their god’s attention. They cried louder. They cut themselves until the blood ran in rivers down their arms. 

And heaven’s voice was silent. No thunder clap from the clouds. No bolt of lightning. No booming voice declaring their god’s presence. Just silence. And, perhaps, a snicker from the lone prophet who watched their antics with disdain. 

This big-screen showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal is a familiar story. Captured in all its glorious detail on the pages of 1 Kings 18, the epic battle (which wasn’t a battle after all) between the God of the universe and the gods of this world ends just as we expect it to. God displays his power with miraculous signs and wonders, vanquishes his enemies, and leads even the unbelieving to testify, "The LORD – he is God! The LORD – he is God!" (v. 39). 

But what prompted God to show up? A two sentence prayer from Elijah: 

"O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again" (vv. 36-37). 

Two sentences comprised of mostly one- and two-syllable words. A simple, heart-felt plea from one of God’s children. 

If you, like I, find God’s willingness to respond to simple prayers amazing, we’re not alone. The prophet Amos also marveled at how available and accessible God is. “He is here: the One who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals His thoughts to man” (Amos 4:13). 

He is here. 

Think on this for a moment. The God who forms the mountains and creates the wind . . . is here. Where we are. With us. 

But it gets better. 

Have you ever sat in a room with someone who is physically here, yet a thousand miles away? Shrouded in mystery and silence, their thoughts were as incomprehensible as a Supreme Court brief to a first-year law clerk. 

But, wonder of wonder, our God isn’t like this. He doesn’t require us to employ dramatic and extreme measures to get his attention or discern his thoughts. Our mighty, all-powerful God is not only with us, but also, in the words of Amos, “longs to reveal his thoughts to us.” 

What other god is like this? 

If you, like Elijah (not the prophets of Baal) would like to experience God’s power, and if you, like Amos, want to understand God’s thoughts, it’s not hard. 

First, seek God earnestly. 

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). 

Second, talk to him in prayer. Prayer isn’t elaborate or ostentatious. It’s a conversation. Moses talked to God “face to face,” and we can, too, (even though, for a time at least, we’ll have to imagine God’s face). 

“The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them” (Psalm 145:18-19). 

Third, allow God to speak to you through his Word, the Bible. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16). 

As we approach God earnestly, talk to him in prayer, and allow him to speak to us through his Word, we’ll come to understand his heart and mind. No shouting, dancing, or bloodletting. Just a conversation with the God of the universe who longs to reveal his thoughts to us. 

Imagine that.

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