Where the Lord’s Voice Is
I was reading in my One Year earlier today, from 1 Kings 19. Elijah is on Mount Horeb, in a cave. He hears from God, and the Lord tells him to go out on the mountain, and stand in the presence of the Lord, because He is about to pass by.
As Elijah is waiting in the cave, a powerful wind blows in. It is described has having so much force that it tore the mountain apart and shattered the rocks. But, Elijah doesn’t budge. The Lord isn’t in that wind, as powerful and unstoppable as it was.
The next thing that happens is an earthquake, which probably messed up that mountain more than it already had been from the wind. But the Lord isn’t in that force, either.
Right after the earthquake there is a fire, and still Elijah does not come out, does not respond to that. The last thing that Elijah hears is something nowhere near as loud as the wind, earthquake, or the flame. There is a gentle whisper.
The second Elijah hears that is when he responds, covers his face, and goes out to talk with God.
That really spoke to me; it isn’t that I have a hard time hearing God’s voice (sometimes that happens), it’s just that there are some times that I feel like I have responded to something I heard nervously, or that I was pressured into doing it or saying it.
But I know that isn’t true, I know what He sounds like and how He speaks. I shouldn’t be so worried about doing the right thing, or thinking the right thing, or saying or feeling or whatever “thing” it is. The only thing Elijah responded to was the gentle whisper, and nothing else.
The Creator of the Universe could have “showed up” in any one of those huge, powerful, amazing things. There are times where He has spoken and those things happen. But here, Elijah didn’t respond to any of those events.He didn’t come out to talk when those events occurred. He waited for the Lord’s Presence.
The instant that a gentle whisper came, he came right then and there, and met with God.
That is the only Voice that matters. Anything else that sounds any different, any different than a gentle whisper that we feel deep down in us — we should let it pass, and listen for where He is.
