Sometimes, I think the concept of listening to God can be confusing. If you look through the Bible, you’ll see a few isolated examples of God revealing himself and speaking through “incredibly-hard-to-miss” supernatural way. For example, a burning bush, a thunderous voice, a talking donkey, and many so many other ways. I wonder if some of us wish for God to be this obvious when He speaks to us. The funny thing is, it’s actually a very rare occurrence throughout history. More often we see God speaking to us in a quiet voice, in a more subtle way…
A perfect example is the story of the Old Testament Prophet, Elijah. He 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 was literally 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 physically coming to speak with me, I would probably have expected him in the big and obvious. If I had been in the middle of fires and earthquakes raging all around me, I’d think, “WOAH LOOK AT THAT ALL-POWERFUL WORTHY TO BE PRAISED CREATOR.” But God sometimes 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.
Here’s a thought: In an extremely loud and flashy world, our attention is constantly held by things that are new and big and shiny. God wants to look nothing like the world, so he speaks to us gently and quietly, capturing our attention with his love.
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 of minutes to give it a try.
1 Kings 19:11-13 (MSG)
“Then he was told, “Go, stand on the mountain at attention before God. God will pass by.” A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn’t to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn’t in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn’t in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper.
When Elijah heard the quiet voice, he muffled his face with his great cloak, went to the mouth of the cave, and stood there. A quiet voice asked, “So Elijah, now tell me, what are you doing here?” Elijah said it again, “I’ve been working my heart out for God, the God-of-the-Angel-Armies, because the people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed your places of worship, and murdered your prophets. I’m the only one left, and now they’re trying to kill me.”