In the Old Testament we are given the story of a prophet named Elijah. Because of the corruption around him, Elijah falsely believed he was the last follower of God in Israel. After a brave encounter with those who desired to silence him, Elijah retreated to a cave hoping to hear the Word of the Lord.
A strong wind tore through the mountains and broke the rocks to pieces, and Elijah thought, “Surely the Lord is in this mighty display of power.” But the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, an earthquake. “Surely the Lord shakes the foundations of the earth,” thought Elijah. But the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, a fire—but still no sign of the Lord. Elijah returned to the cave, and there in the silence—where he least expected it—he heard a whisper.
In this life, we are surrounded by noise, and much of that noise brings an anti-Christian message about who we are, how we should think, and what we should feel. The noise can be overwhelming. In our confusion, we can be tempted to believe that we are all alone—the last followers of God in this broken world. We listen for the Lord, but he is not in the noise.
God is not in our idols, or our selfish desires. He is not in our calls for vengeance, or in the voice of this age. But he does speak. Perhaps he speaks where we would least expect it. He speaks through the Bible—those words written thousands of years ago, and He speaks through his Church—a group of imperfect people, who are only unique because of what they believe.
The hope for identity magazine is that it will be a magazine faithful to the Bible—bravely applying the Word of God to relevant topics today, and telling the story of imperfect people—proclaiming the story of a perfect Savior, Jesus Christ.
It is my prayer that, throughout the articles in identity magazine, you will hear the voice of the Lord whispering, “I am with you.” And you will catch a glimpse of your identity—the person God created you to be.
Rev. Troy Tysdal is Director of Communications and Prayer for the Church of the Lutheran Brethren and serves as editor in chief of identity magazine.