[1]NASHVILLE (BP) – This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with Lifeway Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, Lifeway publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.
This week’s Bible study is adapted from the Explore the Bible curriculum.
Bible Passage: 1 Kings 19:9-18
Discussion Questions:
- What makes a whisper more effective than a loud or jarring sound?
- What actions might a person take so they can better hear God’s whisper?
Food for thought:
When teaching a group of people, the louder we get the louder they get.
[2]One way to bring calm to a group of preschoolers is encouraging everyone to use our “inside voice.” It helps if we use our inside voice as well when we encourage them to do the same. Granted, we may need to do some other things first to get their attention, but once we have their attention, our inside voice may be more effective than continuing to be the loudest person in the room.
In 1 Kings 19, we find God instructing Elijah to go out and stand on the mountain in the Lord’s presence. Prior to Elijah’s leaving the cave, God passed by. Then Elijah experienced a mighty wind, an earthquake and a fire. These might be the ways we would expect God to speak, in ways that revealed His power and authority. He had used fire to confirm His presence and power at Mount Carmel. Referring to God’s coming judgment on a rebellious Jerusalem, Isaiah later proclaimed God would use these elements to exact His punishment (Isaiah 29:6).
For Elijah, though, God was not in the wind, the earthquake or the fire. Instead, God spoke in a soft whisper. God speaking in a whisper demonstrates His power.
Sometimes, we need to step away from the noise of our lives so we can hear God clearly. Elijah had fled out of fear and in doing so placed himself in a position where God could quietly address the distraught prophet. We can remember that God spoke into existence all that is. Paul reminded the Thessalonians that the man of lawlessness would be destroyed by a breath from God, a whisper (see 2 Thessalonians 2:8).
So many times, we want a bright light or an earth-shaking sign and forget that God is in the whisper. We do not need to run away like Elijah to a mountain to hear the whisper, but we may need to retreat, put down the smartphone, and listen for God’s whisper.
Explore the Bible
Explore the Bible is an ongoing Bible study curriculum that helps groups dig into the key truths of each Bible book, while keeping the group on pace to study through the Bible books in a systematic way. More information can be found at Lifeway.com/ExploreTheBible [3].