Discerning God's Presence

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"…And behold, the LORD was passing by!…the LORD was not in the wind…the LORD was not in the earthquake…the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing.  When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out…" - (1 Kings 19:11-13, NASB) 

   This is an amazing passage to me. In other place throughout the Bible God has "spoken" through fierce winds, earthquakes, and fire. So it was not merely a matter of the gentle blowing that got Elijah's attention, it was something else. What was it about this gentle blowing that allowed Elijah to recognize God's presence within? I do not believe that it had anything to do with the gentle blowing itself, rather it was about Elijah. Paul tells us that the natural man cannot discern or understand the things of the spirit of God (1 Cor. 2:14-3:3). Elijah, and later Elisha, were both mighty men of God who did not look at the natural things the way most people do. Where men saw famine, they saw feast, where there was drought, they heard rain, where there was poverty, they saw abundance, where there was barrenness, they saw fruitfulness. Now, contrast their examples with Revelation chapter 13. The Bible tells us that the antichrist will suffer a mortal wound, but will recover, and will perform all manners of miracles. Those who are left by this time will see the amazing demonstrations of "God's presence and power," and will follow the deception. 
   We can apply this principle in a number of ways. Discerning God's presence requires looking beyond what our natural eyes see.  Just because there is an earthquake, wind, fire, or miracle does not mean God is in it. Sometimes it seems that the church in America is desperately trying to produce earthquakes, winds, and fires that will "shake" the nation. However, I wonder if the pomp and circumstance that sometimes accompanies our efforts could possible distract from or drown out the presence of God? I think in our genuine efforts to change the world, we are targeting more of the natural and less of the spiritual. God's supernatural presence is not going to be manifest in our churches by our relying on natural means. 

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