We welcome you to Stone's Hill today!

A typical Stone's Hill service has:

* music (so feel free to sing out);

* some announcements (things that are upcoming that you can be a part of);

* a message out of the Bible (God speaks to us through his Word);

* and an opportunity for you to respond to the message (either immediately in the case of a decision that needs to be made OR in the future as you live out the message in your daily life.)

So relax and enjoy your morning! We're so glad you are here!

MESSAGE TEXT
1 Kings 19:1-21 | Part 2
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INTRODUCTION
We learned a few weeks ago that God met Elijah in his darkest moment, not with rebuke but with provision and gentleness. And then, after Elijah retreats into a cave, God puts on a show. God is a Wild, Three-In-One God! He’s so unpredictable, so out-of-the-box, so mysterious, so incomprehensible. He’s unstoppable, unfathomable, and untamable. Imagine, a Being with a mind as great as God’s, with a voice like rushing wind and ocean waves breaking on distant shores, an iridescent light representing a presence and power that can consume everything.
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We learn in the Bible that God is a God who talks through burning bushes and braying donkeys. He feeds prophets with ravens. He sends messages through storms and rainbows and earthquakes and dreams and He whispers in a quiet voice. He’s a Wild God! God comes to Elijah in the unexpected way. If we look for God in the big show, the sensational or the dramatic, we might miss Him.
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PROPOSITION
Still Small Voice - Secrets God Wants to Tell You
So, first of all, there is an incredible wind. It tears the rocks apart. Then after that comes an earthquake. After that comes fire. Earthquake, wind, and fire: the three signs of the presence of God in terms of judgment. They are destructive things. It’s tough to focus on God when the ground beneath rolls like water and the wind above you is ripping trees out of the ground and the brush fire is crackling and sizzling and vaporizing everything. You’re just running for cover. There’s little intimate connection in it. Elijah realizes God is not in them. What that means is you can’t talk to God in these things. You’re running for cover. It doesn’t mean they’re not from God. It doesn’t mean they haven’t been sent by God. It doesn’t mean God doesn’t judge, but that’s not how I’m going to find God. He is not in them. If all these manifestations of God’s presence drove Elijah further back into the cave he was staying in, then the still small voice (a gentle little breeze) drew him out again, closer and closer in order to hear the whisper of God. The old King James Bible says it’s a still small voice. Literally in the Hebrew it says there was a quiet breath. Elijah put his hood over his face, because he realized, “Now I’m talking to God,” and he listened. When somebody whispers it is intimate. There’s a tenderness in it. A voice compared to all the other manifestations is very personal, intimate. It’s not an angry voice, but an inviting voice. It’s not the voice of frustration, but a gentle voice, a voice that He lowers so that we will learn to pay attention.
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CONCLUSION
To close, I want to ask you a question: “What is the gentle, quiet voice of God whispering to you this morning?” “Why don’t you stay and work things out?” “Forgive him. Let her go free.” “Lead your family. Help them on their spiritual journey.” “Surrender your broken life to Me.” “Turn away from your lovers, your addiction, and let Me love you.” “Use your resources for kingdom gains.” “Serve your neighbor.” “Don’t judge your co-worker; become their friend.” “Go have this difficult conversation.”