Unexpected Revelations

I grew up in the church. From the time I was infant up to the present, I've attended church nearly every time the doors were open--Sunday school, Sunday morning worship, Sunday night, Wednesday night. I've drifted at times in my walk with God, but I've never had a period of time where I was separated from God.

In short, my spiritual life has been boring. Or so it would seem. Especially when I compare it to others who came to know Christ later in life. They always seem to have some deeply heart-wrenching story about the moment they turned from sin and gave their lives over to God. Now, I'm not at all resentful of having been raised in a Christian home, but I'll admit there have been times when I've been...well, somewhat jealous of those who have a really exciting testimony to give.

But it's foolish of me to think that only those who have big "Damascus Road" moments get to experience God. When Elijah was on the run from Jezebel, he found himself holed up in a cave, searching for God's reassuring presence. Let's take a look at what he found:

There he [Elijah] went into a cave and spent the night. He replied, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." The Lord said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." 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?" (I Kings 19:9-13)

Elijah saw and felt a series of natural forces--powerful wind, earthquake, fire--but God was not in any of those, as he might have expected Him to be. Instead, God revealed Himself through a gentle whisper, a quite unexpected way for the Creator to show His presence.

God can and does choose at times to reveal Himself through big, powerful moments, but He also (and perhaps more often) shows up in quiet, unassuming experiences. If we only look for God's in the "wow" moments, we'll end up missing His true presence in the quiet, gentle moments.

If you, like me, don't feel like you have much of a conversion testimony to give, don't despair. Rejoice in your salvation, and continue to seek God in everyday moments. You don't have to see a blinding light or a burning bush in order to experience Him. Today He might come to you in a gentle whisper.