Show WEEKLY Y SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON j I HOW Holy GOD SPEAKS The International Uniform Sun lun Sunday lunday Sunday day School Lesson for Oct 9 0 How I God Speaks to is Men bleu 1 Kings I 18 IL By Dr WM 1 E. E GILROY D D. D. D I Editor of The Congregationalist Elijah was In the wilderness fighting his worst vorst enemy c and imy I ours ours discouragement ge It seems s amazing that Elijah should have ha been discouraged end and should have hate gone off or In the wilderness praying that he might die In the very ery hour of his signal triumph over the thc pro pro- prophets prophets prophets of Baal end and his complete vindication The Thc fact however Is not untypical un un- untypical untypical typical In life The general theory that discouragement lays las hold of men In their hours of defeat but that they never feel fecI It In their hours of or victory Is not upheld by byall byall byall all experience There are arc men who can 1311 fight without flinching as long longas as they ere arc beset with difficulties and dangers who never tr think of or giving In but who In the hour of or their triumph are face to face tace with the most crucial moral and spiritual dangers As a I general thing It may be said that the hour of success and victory is the hour hourin hourIn in which a man needs to loo most carefully to his spiritual safety Moreover in his moods and dis dis- discouragements dis- dis man has a a. strange faculty of being just where he ought not to be Here was ras Elijah EUJah running off to the desert asking to die and end bemoaning the fact lct that Israel Isreel had forsaken God and that of or the faithful he only was left at the very time that 1000 in III Israel had not bowed the knee to Baal Daal and in the very hour when he had emerged to triumph and I Ilen splendid len leadership 1 P. P I ENEMY IY OF DISCOURAGEMENT It Is true that a woman had i threatened his life but one can can- cannot cannot cannot not entertain the thought thou that Elijah EUjah was either cither a moral or a physical coward and had run off to the wilderness simply to escape from the threats of Jezebel It was this more terrible enemy of dis dis- discouragement discouragement dis- dis discouragement with which he was battling and in one sense he lost for Tor though God called him from his discouragement he had been apparently so broken with his pos pos- possibility possibility of leadership that his hi pass- pass passIng passIng passing Ing and the coming of or Elisha as his successor were announced God G d spoke to Elijah Eiljah in the still small voice oice and this is the first great lesson for discouraged peo peo- people people people or for people who are tempted to discouragement So often orten in ire our discouragement we loop look loo for some great outward thing to rouse us and strengthen us We are concerned about winds and earthquakes but reviving power po comes in quiet and unexpected ways Another of the thc signal ways of getting away from discouragement is getting where we e ought to be The Divine Voice said to Elijah What doest t thou here It may be beth that th t there arc are times Umes when people need rest and relaxation when new faith and new hope revive as one goes aside to pray there were ere times in ire the life of our Lord when he went into the mountain and continued all night in prayer But there are other times when wh-n the only hope of or the soul is in ac activity ae- ae activity and stimulation In our dis dis- discouragement discouragement dis- dis discouragement we arc are apt to turn to towa's ways was of loneliness s when we ought to be seeking the help of fellow fellow- fellowship fellowship ship hp and communion We Wc arc are apt to neglect our tasks when we e ought with rigid discipline to be b finding something to do How did Gol God speak to Elijah Very much as he speaks ks to MS us u. u The man who has not the capac- capac 1 J f t re reI I a i L LIr Ir IrI I l lJ i J t t j a 1 4 w wN N er C I h J Text 1 I Kings 18 And he came thither unto a cave and lodged there and behold the word of the Lord came to him and he said unto him ham What doest thou here Elijah And he said I have been ee very jealous jC for the Lord O God of hosts for forthe la the children of Israel a have a forsaken thy covenant t thrown down o thine altars and slain thy prophets with the sword and I even I only am left and they seek my life to take uke it ft 1 t away And he said Go forth and stand upon the mount before the Lord And behold the Lord passed by and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord but the Lord was not in to the wind and alter after the wind an earthquake but the Lord was not in the earthquake And after the earthquake a a. tire lire but the Lord was not in the fire and after arter the fire a still small voice olce And it was so when Elijah heard it it that he wrapped his face In his mantle and went out and stood in the entering in of the cave And behold there came a voice unto him and said What doest thou here herc Elijah And he said I have ha been very ery jealous for the Lord God of or hosts hotts because the children of Israel ha e forsaken thy covenant thrown down thine altars and slain thy prophets with the sword swo-d and end I even e I Ionly Ionly only am ae left and 2nd they seek sack my life to take t. it away awa And the Lord said sald unto him Go return on thy way to the wilderness of or Damascus and when wh n thou anoint to lo be king over Syria And Jehu the son of or Nimshi thou anoint to be king ng over o Israel and Elisha the son of or Shaphat of A bel thou anoint to be prophet in thy room And It shall come to lo pass that him that the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay slay- and him that from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay Ia Yet I have ha left me seven seyen thousand in Israel all the knees which have hae not bowed unto Baal and every mouth which hath not kissed kI d him ity to hear the still small voice olee is not the sor tot tor man who Is going to hear Gods God's voice olce though it I speak c In wind or earthquake The power to hear the Divine Voice In the past has not been some strange and miraculous thing it has come cone rather from from the attuning of the soul in righteous righteous- righteousness ness and sincerity and in willing willingness ness to obey The secret of Pauls Paul's life for in instance In- In Instance instance stance was not in the heavenly vision Islon that he spoke e of coming coning to him on the th way to Damascus It was in his readiness to obey He summed up the profound reality of or Ills his l s life when hen he lee said to King Agrippa Whereupon 0 O King Agrippa I was not disobedient unto the heavenly hea vision Islon Much of the discouragement of life would disappear if U we would watch ourselves In the moments moment when all Is wit w particularly if it we would seek to safeguard our- our ours ourselves selves salves s moral and spiritual reaction especially if In addition to this we would get where we ought to be end become busy with the thing that wo ought to be doing |