Small Whispers and Parables

Small whispers and parables are not often held together, but let me try here.

Jesus said he told parables so people would not understand. Wait, he definitely wanted people to understand. He told parables so that people would think deeply. Thinking deeply draws issues into our heart where we can be truly reached.

Jesus could say to Nicodemus that you need to have faith in Jesus to be saved. But he began by saying you need to be born again. Jesus is naturally a master at forcing us to think – with our mind and our heart which He made and knows well.

Elijah was running and complaining.  See how God came to speak. God first showed his awesome might, then spoke

And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

¹⁰ He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn 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.”

¹¹ 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. ¹² After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. ¹³ 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?”

¹⁴ He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn 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.”

¹⁵ The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came…

Elijah should have said, “hiding”  because he was afraid of the queens wrath. At the fall of Adam, the same happens. Neither can admit their fear and shame.

God wanted Elijah to go deeper in his heart and be humble just like the parables ask us too.

Small Whispers and Parables and God Uses All To Reach Us

So God had to overawe Elijah like he overawed Job. God knows how to bring the stubborn to contrition.

If God had simply told Nicodemus that he needed to confess and believe, he could not have reached him.  If he had not overawed Elijah and then talked softly with him, He could not have gotten Elijah to stop running and complaining. God knows how to reach us. May we be open more easily.   May we also know how by prayer to reach each one.

God wants us to open our deep heart in humility, and thus He uses parables and sometimes a small whisper to reach us.

God loves us and thus wants to break down our defenses. We often do not realize how hard it is to get to us. We hide our deep hearts and especially our shame. God wants us to be real and humble to see ourselves as God sees us. We are both worse and better then we see ourselves. God helps us find out which is which (often via a wise counselor).