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I think 50% of marriage is spent answering the question, “What?” I don’t know if that is true for everyone else, but this has proven true in our case. Even armed with the knowledge that my husband will say, “What?” when I’ve said something, I don’t often correct my behavior. Knowing that he can’t hear me from the other room, I should go closer to him and speak in a normal tone of voice. But I guess I’m a slow learner; I still end up shouting louder and louder so he can hear me. And he, in turn, keeps saying, “What? What did you say?” I need to get closer for him to listen.

After victory there was a however

If you read 1 Kings 18, you’ll read the account of Elijah’s victory over Ahab and the false prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel. It’s an interesting story; please read it because you’ll get a sense of the amazing faith of Elijah. He was certain of God’s delivering power. And, of course, God came through in an amazing way. So, Elijah proved his point: God was God, and there is none comparable to Him. No other god was worth worshipping.

However, (why is there always a however?) after this great victory, Elijah experienced a dark moment. In the very next chapter, 1 Kings 19, Elijah, who had just witnessed a great miracle, ran away into the desert and waited to die (see verse 4). He was afraid because Jezebel (King Ahab’s wife) was threatening to kill him. Also, he was exhausted and ready to quit. What happened to Elijah? It’s as if he couldn’t hear God any more; he wasn’t even asking, “What did you say?”

Leaning in to hear God’s whisper

In Elijah’s depressed state, God had mercy (He’s like that). He sent an angel to feed him and send him on his way to meet with God in a cave (see 1 Kings 19:5–13). When Elijah finally did meet with God, he was taught a valuable lesson. God showed him strong winds, earthquakes, and fire. One would think that God would be found in the great and mighty. But He wasn’t. God was found in a whisper. You know you have to be close to someone to hear them whisper. God invited Elijah to be close to Him, to lean in.

What did you say? Plant another church?

Our first church plant in Burundi was one of those Mount Carmel victories. Within two years, we saw massive growth from zero to 500. We weren’t doing anything special, there was just a grace on the work at that time. By the time we handed over the leadership to our local pastors (for that’s what church planters do), nine years later, we had 1,600 people in attendance in two Sunday morning services. There were 300 cell groups meeting throughout the city; what a move of God!

We didn’t have that same experience at our next stopping point, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Despite jumping through all the hoops and doing all the right things, we didn’t get registration for the church to operate. We were ultimately told we weren’t wanted in the country. Off we went to Zambia to start over (which worked, by the way) with our tails between our legs. I had forgotten the victory in Burundi and wanted to sit under a tree and give up. It felt as if we were sitting in the middle of a dark night. I didn’t want to ask God, “What did you say?” I was tired, chased off, and confused, just like Elijah. To recover, I had to lean in and listen for God’s whisper.

Be brave and ask “What did you say?”

On the heels of a great mountaintop, there will always be a valley waiting for us. Jesus promised us victory, but that doesn’t mean we won’t face the heat of the fires that will burn. Everyone, believer and unbeliever, faces the heat of life. What we have as a promise in the fire is Jesus’ presence. We just have to be brave enough to ask, “What did you say?” If we listen, He will guide us through the fire. We have to lean in and listen for His whisper.

“I told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have trouble, but be brave! I have defeated the world.”

John 16:33 NCV