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In the Whisper: The Power and Gentleness of God — 4/10/2025 10:00 AM
In today's message from 1 Kings 19, Dr. Will Smallwood looks at the way God responds to us in moments of discouragement, discontentment, and despair. Dr. Smallwood serves as Vice President for Advancement at Cedarville University.
Notes
In the Whisper: The Power and Gentleness of God: 1 Kings 19:1–18
Have you ever felt like you gave your all, only to feel like it didn’t matter? That’s exactly where we find Elijah in 1 Kings 19, the focus of Dr. Will Smallwood in chapel today. After a mountaintop victory on Mount Carmel, where fire fell from heaven and the prophets of Baal were defeated, Elijah expected revival. Instead, he received a death threat from Jezebel — and he ran. “It is enough,” Elijah says in verse 4. This prophet who had seen God raise the dead, stop the rain, and send fire from heaven was suddenly drowning in discouragement. Why? Because when our joy is rooted in anything other than the glory of God and the salvation of souls, it will be fleeting. We all face moments like this. Discontentment slowly eats away at our perspective until we find ourselves isolated, disillusioned, and despairing. But the beauty of this story is not just Elijah’s honesty — it’s God’s response. God doesn’t rebuke Elijah. Instead, He sustains him with food and rest. Then, He leads Elijah to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God. There, Elijah encounters God not in fire or an earthquake, but a whisper. A gentle voice. “And after the fire came a gentle whisper ... Then a voice said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’”
— 1 Kings 19:12–13. God reminds Elijah: You are part of the story, but you are not the story. Elijah wanted control, vindication, and clarity. God gave him something better — His presence, His voice, and His reassurance that He was still at work.
Key Truths from 1 Kings 19:
- God meets us in our weakness with grace.
- Discontentment distorts our view, but God’s whisper realigns it.
- True joy is found in surrender, not in success.
- God’s will is always holy, good, and purposeful — even when it’s hard to understand.
Action Steps:
- Pause and Reflect – Where might you be striving instead of abiding? Are you listening for the whisper?
- Name the Discontent – What expectations have led you to discouragement? Surrender them.
- Trust His Voice – Like Elijah, go to the mountain of God. Open His Word. Let His whisper speak louder than your fear.
When your dreams are no longer your reality, do you trust God enough to keep going? Even in the whisper, He is speaking. He is not done with you yet.