Dr. Dianne Coflin
Co-Pastor, River of Life Church
Often when we think about the voice of God we think of the kinds of things described in Psalms 29, “The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness.” The voice of God is also described as the “still small voice”(1Kgs. 19:12). God’s voice may be heard from heaven (Jn. 12:28) or spoken by his prophets (Heb. 1:1).
In the Book of 1 Kings 17, Elijah the prophet was instructed by God to journey to the land of Zarephath during a time of intense famine. There, God assured him that “I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain you.” When Elijah arrived, he found a widow collecting sticks to make a fire to cook the last little bit of food she had for her and her son. When Elijah saw her, he said, “Bring me a drink of water.” (a valuable commodity in a time of drought). As she went to get the water, he then said, “Bring me also a little bread.” Her response revealed her dire circumstances. She said, “I only have a handful of meal and a little oil. I am preparing it for me and my son so we can eat and then die.” The next words Elijah spoke may have seemed harsh. He said, “Make me a little cake first and bring it to me and then make for you and your son.” He followed this command with a promise: “For this is what the Lord God of Israel says. ‘The jar of flour will not be empty and the jug of oil will not run out until the day the Lord makes it rain on the surface of the ground.’”
Some may read this account and say, “I thought God told Elijah to go there, for he had already commanded a woman to feed him.” But we see the command of God to the widow came through the mouth of the prophet. Elijah was God’s voice of promise to this woman. Elijah was not trying to take anything from this widow; instead he was trying to position her for a miracle. If she would believe and obey the command of God (“bring me a little cake first”) she would then be able to receive the miraculous promise of God for her, her son, and the prophet. She believed the voice of God from the lips of the prophet and did as Elijah commanded her. The result was God’s miraculous provision for the next several years. We may think the voice of God could only have been spoken through one of these great Old Testament prophets, yet in the New Testament it says Elijah was a man just like us (Jms. 5:17). Is it possible for us to be the voice of God on the Earth?
The greatest of miracles is when someone hears the good news of the Word of God and believes what they hear. The amazing results are described as being “born again”, “made a brand new person”, “delivered out of darkness into the light of God’s kingdom”, “set free”, “made whole”, “forgiven”, “cleansed” and “healed.”
All these wonderful results are not accomplished because of the one doing the speaking, but because of what is spoken. Jesus said, “whosoever shall say to this mountain, be removed and shall not doubt but shall believe the things he speaks shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he speaks.” (Mk. 11:23). Mountains are not always made of granite, but always are obstacles that stand in the way of God’s will for your life. Why don’t you put God’s Word in your mouth and see what happens?
Dr. Dianne Coflin, Co-Pastor of River of Life Church, Lutz, Florida. Our services begin 10:30am on Sundays. We would love to have you come!
410 Chapman Rd. East, Lutz, FL 33549
(813) 949-9931 • www.roltampa.org