Day 70 - Distance From Love

Thoughts that have come from various quotes taken from the book, "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim Based Society" by John H. Hovis. Click here to link directly to the audio file.

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"God’s love isn’t limited by the number of people it flows through nor the distance we feel we are from that love."

As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 135.

Ever been in need of something and just as you look around you see someone who receives just what you feel like you need at that moment? Maybe it was a word of encouragement that someone else got instead of you. Maybe it was a promotion that you worked so hard to obtain. Maybe it was a simple hug that everyone else seems to shrug off that would mean the world to you. Whatever it is, sometimes we feel such a great distance from the Love that is so critical in all our lives.

This can be particularly the case when we feel we are in need from some kind of attention from God. The presence of God can be so hard to feel, let alone recognize at times in our life. It isn’t that God is distant. I believe that this feeling comes from the fact that this world is so good at masking His voice and cloaking His appearances all around us. In addition to the world doing all it can to keep us from seeing and hearing from our God, we can be so distracted that we can miss His presence in ways that might surprise us from time to time.

There is a story in the Bible of a prophet of God that was in dire need of hearing from God. Elijah was a man who lived during times of great trouble for the Nation Israel. He was one of the lone voices speaking out against the unspeakable evil that was happening amongst God’s people. He was persecuted by his enemies and the world did all it could to silence the word of God that was being spoken through this man. In the middle of the turmoil Elijah needed to hear from God. Check out today’s Bible reading for what happened next.

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. 1 Kings 19:11-13 (NIV)

We so often look for the power of God as proof that He is there. We want the wind to come and shatter all the mountains that stand against us. We want the earthquake to shake down all the walls that have been built up as barriers to us being all we want to be. We look to the fire from God to come down and lap up the evil that works to trip us up at every turn. Elijah was no different than any of us. He thought God would appear in the mighty, but He didn’t.

A gentle whisper ushered in the very presence of God. I’m not sure I would have waited for that whisper. After the disappointment of failing to see God in the wind or the quake or the fire, I might have turned and walked away. Luckily for Elijah he didn’t give up so easy. That whisper made all the difference and set Elijah up for the next phase of his journey with his God.

There are several places in the Bible where we are admonished to have “ears to hear” and “eyes to see”. Strange words but such a powerful truth for us to apply. Had not Elijah had ears to hear he would have missed the presence of God that day and might have gone on to defeat in ways God never intended. We too need ears to hear and eyes to see. Particularly in this fast paced, chaotic world where darkness is gaining more and more strength. Don’t expect God in the wind, the quake or the fire – he might be there but more often than not it is in the still, quiet times of our live that God’s whisper can ring so profoundly.

It isn’t that God is too far away from you that makes it hard to hear from Him. It isn’t that he has too many people to love that makes His love hard to understand, recognize and enjoy at times. It is that we are looking for Him in the wrong places and our ears and eyes are blocked by the trappings of this world. It is when we can’t see Him or hear Him that we need to do a little self evaluation.

His love is there for you today. It isn’t being withheld by a wicked God. It also isn’t being blocked by the evil in this world. Take time today to be still. Block out as much of the jumbled up mess of this world as you can and just let His quiet whisper speak to you. Don’t be distracted by the wind, the quake or the fire today. Listen to what He is saying because His word is always for His children and that word is what makes us victors in a world that works so hard to bring us down with victimizing events.