Sunday, July 13, 2008

Still Small Voice

When I was a "young" believer I remember asking a friend of mine how she knew she heard the voice of God. At the time I was hearing so many people say they heard God's voice and how He would guide them daily. The times I tried to listen, I was met with silence. I remember telling her sheepishly "I don't think God is talking to me because I am not hearing anything." Her response was "I don't know that I hear it really well but I know that as I spend time in His word, and with Him, with His people and in worship to Him, I hear it better."

It has been 5 years since that conversation and I am in a place where I understand what she was trying to tell me. At the time I was expecting the Lord to come in a booming, earth shaking voice, but as in Elijah, He wasn't in those things; He was in a still small voice. I can see now that "...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 a still small voice. " (1 Kings 19:11-12)

As I walk daily with Him spending time in fellowship and prayer, I find He doesn't send huge neon signs, He sends sweet melodious whispers. He comes not in earth shattering movements, but in small critters showing us His glory. He doesn't come in large tornadoes that tear things apart, but in a gentle breeze that sweeps your face just enough to make you notice. He won't slap you in the forehead with His presence, but when you seek Him you will recognize Him in the small things, like rays shining through clouds. If you seek Him in the small things, you will see that He is bigger than anything.


Father, thank You that you don't tear my world apart to let me know You are there. Thank You for Your gentleness and love that reaches across eternity just to take my hand and walk with me.

2 comments:

kari said...

isn't that such a reflection of who He is...when i think of His voice, i think of compassion, quiet and gentle. oh, how i love that He wants to speak to me.

thank you for the great post!

Erica said...

Your walk with God has been an encouragment to me in more ways than you can know. Hearing God's voice is something that I often yearn for and sometimes I expect the booming voice only to be left with silence. It is in those quiet moments alone with my Lord, marveling in His beauty or surrendering my heart's anguish and desires to Him, that I hear His voice. Thank you for reminding me of that, it was beautiful timing. God is good, my friend, He is good. :)