Listening

The concept of listening to God can be confusing. If you look through the Bible, you see a few isolated examples of God showing up and speaking through impossible-to -miss supernatural means: a burning bush, a thunderous voice, a talking donkey. While I think we’d all love for God to be this obvious when He speaks to us, it’s actually a very rare occurrence throughout history. More often, we see God speaking much softer…much more subtly.  A perfect example is the story you’re about to read. The Old Testament Prophet, Elijah, was at the end of his rope—tired, fed-up, ready to quit. So, God came to have a conversation with him. And while Elijah is hiding out in a cave in the middle of nowhere, this crazy series of events unfolds. From inside the cave, Elijah witnesses all sorts of natural disasters—the wilderness is being ripped apart! And then, he hears the sound of a gentle whisper, and that’s when he steps outside ready to hear from God.  If I were Elijah in that cave and I knew God was coming to speak with me, I would probably have expected him in the big and obvious. When fires and earthquakes are raging all around me, I’d think, “there’s the all-powerful Creator of the universe.” But God prefers to speak to us in whispers. He is gentle with us. More than that, we now live with the advantage of having God Himself as the Holy Spirit living within us. We can hear from God because He’s already right there—closer than we realize.  But here’s the problem: if God speaks in whispers, we’re going to have to get quiet if we expect to hear Him. Could you hear a whisper over the constant music in your earbuds, the insane schedule you keep, or the constant barrage of screens? When is the last time you slowed down, got quiet, and really listened for that gentle whisper of God? After you read this passage, take a couple minutes to give it a try.   “And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”” ‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭19:11-13‬ ‭ESV‬‬