Believing the Whispers of God — Carter Conlon

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Elijah Hears the Still Small Voice

1 Kings chapter 19, beginning at verse 11, Believing the whispers of God. 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 break 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.

And it was so when Elijah heard it that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entering in of the cave. And behold, there came a voice unto him and said, What doest thou hear, Elijah?

God’s Guidance in Adversity

Now the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah chapter 30, verses 20 and 21. And speaking to the people of Israel, he said, Though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the waters of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers, and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left.

Now here's what the Lord is saying. I'm coming to you, and in my presence, even though you may be going through a difficult time, even though you might have adversity on every side, and affliction might be your portion, at this particular time you find yourself in, I will not allow instruction to be hidden from you any more.

If you have an honest heart today, God has come to you with a word that is going to give you instruction. And in this instruction, there's going to be a word, he said. You're going to hear it, and it's going to say to you, This is God's voice.

This is the way, walk in it. When you go to the right hand, when you go to the left, the Lord says, I'm going to instruct you, even in this difficult time of your life, and I'm not ever going to let you become prey to the voice of the enemy.

Elijah’s Exhaustion and Spiritual Vulnerability

Now, 1 Kings chapter 19 is a chapter about an exhausted righteous man. He had tried hard to live and act in a manner that brought glory to God. Now, I used to have a lot of theories about Elijah, and about why he ran from Jezebel, and why he ended up in a cave, and I preached a lot of messages for a lot of years, until I experienced it myself firsthand.

Then a lot of my theology went out the window, and I began to realize this man was just exhausted. That's all he was. He was a very, very tired man. He had known an anointing that very few through history to that point had ever known, and this incredible touch of God that had come upon him at one momentous victory.

But the touches of God coming upon a vessel for a season can bring about a spiritual exhaustion. I remember after preaching in the Philippines, and the Philippines was really a miraculous time. We had about 15 ,000 people coming into the Arena Coliseum every night, mostly unsaved Catholic people.

And we saw every night thousands, literally. So many coming to Christ that we had to ask in the last evening for people not to respond to an altar call because they were blocking all of the exit aisles and creating a fire hazard.

Isn't that a marvelous problem to have? But I remember it was really a miraculous victory. The organizers had told us it was ridiculous to rent such a large facility. Nobody had ever filled it. And, of course, we heard from the Lord to do this.

We obeyed God. We rented this gigantic stadium right in the middle of Manila. And, of course, just prior to our arrival, there had been an uprising in that society, and people were really afraid. Also, we put banners all over the city saying the Times Square Church Mass Choir is coming.

Somehow the bishop in Manila got the idea that this was a Catholic group coming to say Mass and told his people to go to the meetings. And so when we came out on the platform the first night, I remember one of the first services, the first row was all nuns, and I remember thinking, what is going on here?

And amazing what the Lord can do. I remember feeling this deep fatigue because it had been a terrible, terrible battle, spiritual battle coming on me. And the last night I started to feel, because I've had a serious physical breakdown in the past, and I thought I better not push it tonight.

Better hold back just a little bit. But we went out on the platform, and you're looking at these thousands of faces, and many people didn't know what to do. They're not familiar with singing songs or clapping their hands.

They've never known the joy of the Lord. And I remember thinking, I'm just going for broke. I'm not going to hold anything back. Probably preached harder than I had any time in that entire session to see one of the largest altar calls of people coming to Christ in any meeting that we'd had thus far.

After these meetings were finished, we went to a place where we were supposed to be experiencing a bit of a rest, but all I could do is cry. For about three days, I just cried. That's all I could do. And all my theories about Elijah were gone at that point.

I began to understand what this is all about. When the Lord has used a vessel and he has touched you with his life, it's poured out through you. There is a season of weeping that can come upon you. I remember in Nigeria, night after night, getting into the van after speaking to crowds and hundreds of thousands, getting into the van, putting my face down in my hands and just crying all the way back to the hotel.

There's nothing more you can do. There's simply this sense of the physical as it is having been touched by God. And there's no way to describe it. I had seen it one time happen to Brother Dave. I didn't understand it until I began to experience it myself.

And see, this is what 1 Kings 19 is about. It's about an exhausted man. He's living in a manner that he believed brought glory to God. And it did, in fact. But in his fatigue, his ears and mind became open to the voice of a roaring and a condemning accuser.

And folks, when you are spiritually tired, you are very vulnerable. You need to be very careful what you're allowing to get into your mind and in your heart in these seasons. Because 1 Peter chapter 5 and verse 8 speaks about your adversary.

The devil is a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom he may devour. His voice comes as a roar. His voice comes as an accusation. His voice will try to drive you out of the prayer closet. Cause you to close your Bible.

Cause you to lose heart. Cause you to believe that God himself is speaking to you. And that in fact that God is against you and somehow displeased and disappointed with you. The voice of the condemner will come to try to tell you that you're not going to finish your course.

That yes, you started out strong, but somehow you've made a mistake. And you're not going to make it to the end. And Jesus Christ is not going to be glorified through your life. Now in this instance in 1 Kings 19, the vessel that Satan used was a person.

Whom Elijah must have believed had the power to carry out a threat against his life. In chapter 19 verses 1 to 3. Now this is right after Elijah had had this incredible confrontation with the prophets of Baal.

And God himself had come down upon this altar with the fire of his presence. Now it was indisputable. There's no longer a theological argument being presented. God had come. And the people who were torn between two opinions now had seen the Christ of the universe as it is.

Come down upon that altar and consume Elijah's sacrifice. And they now knew that the God of Elijah was God. And King Ahab was the type of a leader as it is who has no mind of his own. He is moved upon in one direction on Monday and on Tuesday he moves in another direction.

He went and told his wife Jezebel all that Elijah has done. And with all how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. And I just have a sense in my heart that Ahab may have thought this was a good thing at that particular moment.

Coming and giving the report finally. Hey Jezebel we've been led by false voices. And I've seen the fire of God. And I know this is a man of God. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah saying so let the gods do to me and more also.

If I make not thy life as the life of one of them. Which would be the prophets of Baal which he had slain by tomorrow about this time. Verse 3 says and when he saw that he arose and went for his life.

And came to Beersheba which belonged to Judah and left his servant there. Now you see verse 3 implies that he not only the word saw here it says and when he saw that. It implies that he not only intellectually understood the threat towards him.

But he inwardly felt the force of it. You can imagine this messenger coming to Elijah. And saying oh you had to be there you had to see it. I mean the queen got off her throne her eyes are literally bugging out of her head.

She was so mad that she was spitting at everybody around her when she was screaming at them. And this messenger brought this message and it says Elijah understood it but he felt the impact of it. You see we can withstand the words of the roaring accuser.

As long as we are secure in our relationship with God. But in times of fatigue you can begin to feel as it is. That there might be some reality to this roaring accusing voice that is coming against you.

And your walk with God. Now chapter 19 and verse 4 shows us where the reception as it is of this. The receiving of the voice of the condemner will always lead to a wilderness. And an inward sense of powerlessness.

It says but he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness. And he came and sat down under a juniper tree and he requested for himself that he might die. And he said it's enough now oh Lord take away my life.

I'm not better than my father's. Now you see he felt in verse 10 for example. He felt I'm the only prophet left. When you go into the wilderness folks. And you begin to live in this sense of powerlessness.

It will always open your mind to a fictional perspective of your situation. The voice of the condemner once he's got you. Once he's driving you away from God. Although he really can't do that but you begin to think he is doing it.

But he will push you into the wilderness. He will convince you that you are powerless to change your situation. That somehow now you're being pursued by something that is more powerful than your position in God.

And then your mind becomes open to fiction really. Once the devil has access into your heart there's no end to the accusations that he will bring against you. And you see Elijah for example in verse 10 when God tries to speak to him.

He's under the impression that he's the only prophet left. He says I'm the only one left. And then he goes on and he says and they at the end of verse 10 they seek my life to take it away. Now he's referring in the word they to the children of Israel.

But really it's not the children of Israel that are trying to take his life away. As I recall the children of Israel were saying the Lord he is the God. The Lord he is the God. No it's not the children of Israel trying to take his life away.

It's one person. It's one voice animated by Satan himself. It's one ruler called Jezebel that is after him trying to take away his strength. Now let me remind you today that it's complete fiction to believe the devil has any power to take you as a sincere believer from the security of your position through Christ in God.

It is complete fiction. For those who are sitting here under the illusion that somehow you're going to lose this battle. Somehow you're going to be taken out of the place that God has given you in Christ.

The devil has no power to do that. He can only come against you with a lying voice trying to convince you that he has the power to do that. But in reality he has no power to do this. Jesus said this in John chapter 10.

My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. And I give them eternal life and they shall never perish and neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them to me is greater than all and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

No matter what you're going through today you need to know before we even move any farther in this message. If you are a sincere true believer in Jesus Christ you are secure in the hand of God and nobody can take you out of that hand.

Assurance in God’s Presence

Now if we've fallen to the voice of the condemner the question arises how do we get back to hearing the voice of God again? Now firstly Hebrews 13 .5 tells us, he says, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.

Settle it. I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. What if I'm having a bad week? I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. What if I have failed God? What if I have not lived righteously as I think I should have?

I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. What if everybody at work is against me? My family is calling me a hypocrite. I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say in Hebrews 13 .6 the Lord is my helper and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

God says I will never leave you. I will never forsake you even if multitudes are risen up around you and telling you you're not going to make it. I will not leave you. I will not forsake you so that you will have a testimony.

Your testimony will be the Lord is my helper. The Lord is my helper. The Lord is my helper. In Psalm 120. Now just put a marker in 1 Kings 19 because we'll be back there very, very shortly. But in Psalm 120 is a psalm where the psalmist writes these words.

He says in my distressed I cried unto the Lord and he heard me. Deliver my soul O Lord from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue. Now I want you to think about Elijah just for a moment and Jezebel. I want you to think about those who are sitting here this morning and you are being inundated as it is with the voice of the accuser.

Especially and you become especially vulnerable many of you during the holiday season. Deliver my soul O Lord from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue. What shall be given unto thee? Or what shall be done unto thee thou false tongue?

What will God do? How will God defend me? In verse 4 begins to answer that question. Sharp arrows of the mighty with coals of juniper. Now these arrows, Psalm 45 verse 5. This Psalm 45 speaks about Jesus Christ.

And the psalmist says thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies. Whereby the people fall under thee. What shall be done to this lying voice? God says I'm going to come and I'm going to speak a word over this.

I'm going to speak a word that has more authority, more power that is a creative word. I'm going to speak words of life and not death. I'm going to speak words of encouragement and not casting down. I'm going to come down and confirm my love to the hearts of those people who are mine.

I'm going to do it with sharp arrows that are going to pierce the hearts of the enemies of the people of God. And I'm going to do it also with coals of juniper. Now what does that really mean? Coals of juniper.

What's the significance of this? Now back in 1st Kings chapter 19 verses 5 to 7. Speaking of Elijah and it said he lay and slept under a juniper tree. Behold then an angel touched him and said to him arise and eat.

And he looked and behold there was a cake baked on the coals. And a cruise of water at his head and he did eat and drink and laid him down again. And the angel of the Lord came again the second time and touched him and said arise and eat.

Because the journey is too great for thee. You see God comes down in Elijah's despair and uses the very things around him. Which he has embraced in his loneliness to remind him that he is still there.

Amazing. Coals of juniper. The scripture says he fell asleep under a juniper tree which is a bush. It's a desert bush found in the wilderness. And the Lord comes down through a messenger, an angel. And takes probably one of these dead bushes and makes a fire.

And bakes bread on it. I can't help but think of John 21. Where Peter had so desperately failed the one that he loved. He had cursed himself with an oath denying that he had never known this man. Gone back to fishing.

I'm sure the devil is climbing all over his mind. You're supposed to be the one that holds the keys of the gates. And here you are holding a fishing rod in your hand or a net. But you're supposed to be the stone upon which the church is going to be built.

And the gates of hell will not prevail against it. And here you are fishing all night and catching nothing. And I think of Christ appearing on the shore and calling out to them. Have you caught anything?

John recognizes it's the voice of Jesus. Peter casts himself into the water because deep down he loved God with all his heart. In spite of his failure. Swims to shore. He's the first one to get here. What does he find?

He finds coals on the shore with bread and fish already cooked and baking on it. God himself come in mercy. And the Lord begins to speak to Peter. And asks him certain questions. Simply all, do you love me Peter?

Do you love me Peter? Do you love me Peter? Elijah is not alone. And evil is not going to triumph over him. I remember when I was a young pastor. I was serving God with everything that was within me. I was a bit of an extremist in my youth.

Serving God Without Self-Reliance

Because I really didn't understand how to be carried by grace. That we sang about in the choir so wonderfully this morning. And I was out to win the world for Christ. I preached a message here one time called chopping wood for father.

I was going to cut down forest for my father. To get his approval. I traveled thousands of miles from coast to coast. Went up into the Arctic. Into South America. Preaching, fasting, working for God. Only to find that my natural strength was leaving me.

And I remember one time I was standing in church. And I was supposed to preach. And we weren't on the platform because it was a small church. I was in the front row. And I could hardly raise my hands.

And I was so tired. And so weary. And the enemy was just all over me. And all over my mind. And I remember standing there. It was the first time. Because I was a preacher of you can do it. We can do it.

Everybody can do it. And finally I'm standing in the front row. And I'm due to preach in about five minutes. And I never thought I'd ever say it. But I got to the point of saying, God, I can't do this anymore.

I'm finished. I'm done. I had my hands about as high as I could get them. I was trying to worship with all my heart. But I couldn't even worship anymore. Nothing was coming out of my inward parts. And, folks, I'm not an extremist in this.

And what I'm about to tell you actually happened. And I couldn't raise my hands. And I said, God, I can't do this anymore. And I fully intended on resigning. I just said I can't get into that pulpit one more time.

I just don't have the strength left to do it. I heard a voice whispered in this ear on my right side. It was a whisper. And it so startled me that I jumped to see who was speaking to me. And there was nobody there.

But a voice came in a whisper. And he said, I've come to help you. That's all I heard. And in the strength of that voice, I left, got into that pulpit. And the glory of God touched my life one more time and never turned back from that point.

I heard God speak to me. Or an angel, whoever it was, I heard a voice. I'm not talking about an impression. I actually heard a voice say, I've come to help you. And that's all I heard. I've come to help you.

I thought it was an usher. I thought it was an elder in the church because it was a voice that you could hear with your ear. And when I turned, there was nobody there. It's here the Lord begins to encourage Elijah to eat and drink again.

He says to him, you've got to get up and eat because the journey is too great for you. The Lord says, I've made provision for you. You must not try to win this battle in your own strength. You must not think that somehow you can get up with more of a resolve and get through this.

God says, no, it's not for you to do this. I'm the one who has promised to do it through you. You've got to trust me with this. David said these words. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures and leads me beside the still waters.

He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his namesake. You know, I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. I will fear no evil for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.

Thou prepares to table before me in the presence of mine enemies. Thou anointest my head with oil and my cup runneth over. It's here that the Lord begins to open his heart again so that one more time he'll be able to hear and to respond to the right voice.

God’s Table, Provision, and Restoration

God says, no, I prepared a table for you. I want you to come to the table. I want you to get up in the morning. And if you can only read for ten minutes, read for ten minutes. I want you to sit down. Don't turn away from the table of the Lord.

Don't try to do this in your own strength. You just get up and I'm going to begin to speak to you. And I'm going to anoint your head. It's going to be me. You just sit at the table with me. I'm going to anoint your head with oil.

I'm going to show you that I've been with you all the way along in this journey that you're walking on. I'm going to so fill you that your cup is going to run over. You're going to leave the table and you're going to have drink to give to those that are thirsty.

You're going to have bread to spare. You're going to have more than twelve baskets full of bread to spare for those things that I'm going to reveal to you and pour into your heart one more time. I am your shepherd.

You're not going to want. The enemy's not going to triumph over you. You're not going to starve to death spiritually. You're not going to be overcome in the valley of the shadow of death. It's only a shadow.

It has no power over you. I'm going to walk with you through your difficult times. Hallelujah. You've got to hear this. I know I'm speaking in the spirit to someone here this morning. You are not going to be triumphed over.

The enemy is not going to take your testimony away. He is not going to take your life. You're not going to be triumphed over. God is going to walk with you through the valley of the shadow of death. Psalm 25 verse 14 says, The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him, and He will show them His covenant.

It's a secret thing. God says the religious can't hear it. The self-willed can't hear it. The angry can't hear it. The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him. Elijah most likely feared the anger of God towards his failure.

You see, Elijah had been a man, no doubt, angry in some measure to the spiritual failure of the people around him. He had been driven, in some measure at least, by natural passions within his own heart.

But his own natural passions failed him. And now he most likely feels that God is angry with him as he had once been angry with the prophets of Baal, and in some measure, as I said, with the failure of the people.

But God was now about to prove his perception to be wrong. I'm speaking to those this morning that you feel that God is angry with you. You failed in some measure. You did something you shouldn't do. You went somewhere you shouldn't go.

You watched something you shouldn't watch. You did something you shouldn't do. And you feel now, oh, I started out so strong. I started out with such purpose. I started out with such grace. But what a mess I've made of the testimony of God, even if it's just in the last few weeks.

The Lord says now, and you've now got a perception that God is angry with you. But He's not angry with you. And the Lord is about to prove Elijah's self-perception to be wrong. In verses 11 to 13, He says to Elijah, Now go stand on the mountain before the Lord.

Now I'm convinced, I'm convinced that Elijah was, he was standing, he was weak. One word, one word of anger from God, one word of displeasure, I think this man would have been absolutely crushed forever.

I think he's more vulnerable than he's ever been in all of his life. He's running from a voice. And this voice, of course, most likely is trying to tell him that this is God even speaking. And the Lord says, go stand on the mountain before the Lord.

And behold, the Lord passed by in a great and strong wind, rent the mountains and break in pieces the rocks before the Lord. So there's a display, as it is, of what God can do, of how God can respond, of even the hardest places can be taken away.

And, but the scripture says, but he was not in the wind. It was a display, as it is, but God was not there. And after the wind, an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake, a fire.

Now I believe these are the ways that Elijah had become accustomed to God speaking to him. Or his perception of God, at least at this point, was this kind of a violent dealing with failure, as it is. Don't forget, he had just cut the heads off of 450 prophets of Baal.

But the Lord was not in the fire. But after that, a still small voice. And it was so when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle. I see it almost as a bride. In a typical wedding ceremony, before she goes out to meet her bridegroom, she covers her face.

He wrapped his face. He was just so ashamed, so stunned, so unfamiliar with this kind of voice that comes from God to him. And it says, he went out and stood in the entering of the cave. And then the voice of the Lord came to him and said, what are you doing here, Elijah?

In a whisper, literally, a small, still voice. I was thinking of the song of Solomon, chapter 2, verse 14. The scripture says, O my dove that are in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see your countenance.

Let me hear your voice, for sweet is your voice and your countenance is comely. O my dove. O my dove. I was sitting at my desk writing these words yesterday. And I was thinking of the Lord, looking out over this congregation today.

And everybody who's got some kind of a covering to hide some secret thing, to hide some sense of failure, even from God himself. And the Lord reaches out and says, you're in the clefts of the rock. You're hiding in the secret places of the stairs.

Let me see your countenance. Let me hear your voice. For your voice is sweet and your countenance is comely. Can you imagine Elijah saying, how could my countenance be comely? I've been running. I'm discouraged.

I'm depressed. The Lord says to you today, you may feel that way about yourself, but I have placed upon you a covering of my righteousness. The image you have is not of where you are. It's not an image of what you've been doing, but I've placed upon you the image of my son.

I've given you beauty for ashes already. I've given you a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. I've given you a voice of joy that you can bring back to me and give honor and glory to my name.

And in chapter 7, verse 11, he says, come, my beloved. Let us go forth into the field. Let us lodge in the villages. Let's get up and let's go. Let's get back to work again. And this is what the voice of the Lord came to speak to Elijah in chapter 19, verses 15 to 17.

And the Lord said to him, go return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you come, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. And Jehu, the son of Nimshi, you will anoint to be king over Israel.

And Elisha, the son of Shaphat, you will anoint to be prophet in your room. And it shall come to pass that him that escapes the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay, and him that escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay.

Now, here's what the Lord is saying. He said, I've called you to be a vessel through whom others will be called. And just as you will not be overcome, neither will they be overcome. There's an anointing I've placed upon you.

And that anointing is going to flow through you. And through that I'm going to call other people into service in my kingdom. And just as you will not be overcome, neither will they be overcome. They will be conquerors.

They will be victorious. You'll not be bringing them theology about self and human effort. But your theology is going to be about grace. Your theology will be about a voice that came to you in the midst of your deepest, darkest despair.

A voice that spoke tenderly and kindly to you and called you out of this hidden place. And said, you come to me. I want to see your face. I want to hear your voice again. I'm thinking now of those of you're so condemned you haven't been reading your Bible.

You're so condemned you can hardly pray. The Lord says to you, I want to hear your voice again. Your voice is sweet to me. And your countenance is lovely to me. I want to hear your voice again. Do not live under the voice of the condemner.

Do not let the devil have the last word of the day in your life. I believe Elijah is so unfamiliar with this. And so touched by the tenderness of the voice of God. That Elijah gets up and begins to walk with the Lord.

And as you get up and begin to walk with God again. Everything starts falling back into its right perspective. I believe that the Lord says to him in verse 18. Oh by the way, things are not as bad as you think they are.

There are 7 ,000 others that have not bowed their knee to Baal. You thought you were the only one. You're not the only one. You thought you were the only one that has to go through this kind of trial.

No, the Scripture says that the things you're going through are common to all men. But God will not allow you to be tested above that you are able. But with your testing will make a way to escape that you might be able to bear it.

You're not the only one going through this. You're not the only one that's ever gone through this. There have been many others in the past. 7 ,000 others and plus have gone through the battles you're going through right now.

And they too have gotten up. And they too have started to walk with God. And they too have come into a measure of the understanding of the grace of Almighty God that puts an anointing upon their lives to tear down powers and principalities and arguments of the powers of darkness.