WHISPERS

 

AUGUST 14, 2023

1 Kings 19:11-13

 

“The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”

 

Listening to God isn’t easy. We have our expectations for what we think he should sound like, and when those expectations aren’t met, we may question whether we heard God’s voice.

With all the voices shouting at us — social media, television, friends, family or even the messages we hear in church — how can we be sure that we are hearing God’s voice rather than our own thoughts or the enemy’s lies?

This is a overwhelming task, but by looking at Elijah’s experience we can get an idea of what God’s voice sounds like, how to listen for it and how to know when it is, in fact, the Lord’s message that we are hearing.

Many people think that the Lord’s voice only reveals as a loud shout, and for good reason. We see God’s voice described as such throughout the Bible, in Job and Revelation, God’s voice is described as “thundering,” (Job 37:5; 40:9, Rev. 4). So, does that mean that God’s voice is only a thundering shout?

God does speak like this, but that’s not the only way God talks. Many times, his voice is a whisper into your mind or spirit, where you can only hear it if you listen carefully. Elijah illustrates this for us in 1 Kings 19, where he stood on a mountain and heard God speak to him. Elijah could have been fooled by what many people thought was the Lord’s voice, an incredible show of God’s power, such as a natural disaster or a loud voice raining down from heaven, but he continued to listen, and instead, God’s voice came to him as a whisper, a still small voice. If Elijah wasn’t listening, he may have missed it.

We know that God speaks to us through a quiet whisper, but what does this sound like? Elijah, for example, only heard the Lord’s whisper by listening closely.

When we pray, we try to listen for God. If you’re having trouble sitting still for long enough to listen, it may help to drown out other sounds by listening to hymns or worship instrumentals or classical music. We can also silence our phone and go to a quiet place, where you won’t be distracted, like Jesus taught. Then, as we quiet our thoughts we listen for a voice or thought that isn’t ours. It may help to say, “God, I’m here. Whatever you want to say, I’m listening.” Some say that by saying or thinking these kinds of words it will signal to our mind, our brain, that it’s time to focus and listen to God.

When you get a response from God, it will line up with Scripture (John 1:1-3), bring peace (Psalm 29:11, Psalm 85:8) and challenge you to grow in your faith (Matthew 6:25-34). Let us not underestimate the power of the Lord’s whisper. Yes, God speaks in many ways, and when he does you can be confident that it will be in the best interest of those who follow him (Romans 8:28).