Di Quiet Small Voice

One man lie down under one lonely bush for desert, e tire reach say e want die. Only few days ago, e call fire down from heaven. Now e no fit even raise im head. And somebody dey touch im shoulder.

Elijah just see di biggest victory of im life for Mount Carmel. Fire from heaven. One nation for their knees. Rain after three years of drought. But when Queen Jezebel hear wetin happen, she send am message. Make di gods punish me, and do me worse, if by dis time tomorrow I never make your life be like di life of one of dat prophets. And Elijah, di man wey stand alone against four hundred and fifty, fear catch am. E run. South, comot from Israel, pass Judah, reach Beersheba for di edge of di desert. E leave im servant there and continue alone, one whole day journey enter di wilderness.

E sidon under one broom tree and pray. E don do. Now, Lord, take my life. I no better pass my fathers. Then e lie down and sleep. And one angel touch am. Get up and chop. Elijah look, and near im head, one bread wey dem bake for hot stone dey there, and one jar of water. E chop and drink, then e lie down again. Di angel of Di Lord come di second time. Get up and chop, because di journey too much for you. No lecture. No scolding. Na just bread, water, sleep and one gentle touch. With di strength of dat food, Elijah waka for forty days and forty nights, until e reach Horeb, di mountain of God.

For there, e enter one cave and pass di night. And di word of Di Lord come to am. Wetin you dey do here, Elijah? Everything pour comot. I don dey very zealous for Di Lord God Almighty. Di Israelites don reject your covenant, scatter your altars, and kill your prophets with sword. Na only me remain, and now dem dey find me to kill me too. Di Lord talk, Go out stand for di mountain before Di Lord. Because Di Lord wan pass.

Then one great and strong wind tear through di mountains and break di rocks to pieces. But Di Lord no dey inside di wind. After di wind, earthquake. But Di Lord no dey inside di earthquake. After di earthquake, fire. But Di Lord no dey inside di fire. And after di fire, one quiet, small voice. One gentle whisper. When Elijah hear am, e pull im cloak cover im face, and e go out stand for di mouth of di cave. And di voice ask di same question. Wetin you dey do here, Elijah? And Elijah give di same answer, word for word. Na only me remain.

God no argue with am. E give Elijah work to do. Go back di way wey you come. Anoint Hazael as king over Aram, Jehu as king over Israel, and Elisha to be prophet after you. And then God gently correct di matter. Elijah no be di only one wey remain. I don keep seven thousand for Israel, all di ones wey their knees never bow for Baal. So Elijah go. E find Elisha dey plough one farm behind twelve pairs of oxen, and e throw im cloak cover am. Elisha understand. E tell im papa and mama goodbye, kill im oxen, cook di meat with di wood of di plough, feed di people, and follow Elijah. Di lonely prophet no dey alone again.

Horeb na another name for Mount Sinai, di mountain where God meet Moses and give di law. Dat time, di mountain shake and smoke, because Di Lord come down on am for fire. Moses too spend forty days and forty nights there without food, and dem hide am too for one crack inside rock as God glory dey pass. So di people wey dey listen go hear di echo. But dis time, God no dey inside di fire. Di Hebrew words wey dey behind di quiet small voice hard to translate. Some new Bible versions talk say one gentle whisper; others talk say one sound of complete silence.

Di quiet small voice. You go find am for First Kings, chapter nineteen. Elijah don tire, fear catch am, and e sure say e dey alone. God feed am, let am sleep, listen to am, talk to am gently, and give am friend. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When you don tire or fear catch you, how God fit dey talk to you quietly?