God’s Gentle Whisper

God’s Gentle Whisper
Ron DeBoer
4/6/2013
I don’t know about you, but I am always listening for the voice of God. When I was a kid living on our farm, I used to stare at the night sky and imagine God’s face looking down on me. I imagined, if God were ever going to talk to me, his voice would boom from the heavens. I’ve learned since then that God’s voice whispers in more subtle ways—through the voice of a friend, in the lyrics of a song on the radio, in thoughts that suddenly enter my mind and urge me to do or say something.

In 1 Kings 19, the prophet Elijah hears the whisper of God. After killing all of the prophets of the false god Baal and calling on the Lord to show his might to the people, Elijah learns that Queen Jezebel wants him dead. He runs to the wilderness, collapses under a tree, and prays that he might die. The answer to his prayer comes in the form of an angel, who awakens him and tells him to eat and drink and begin journeying to Mount Sinai. Forty days later, Elijah arrives at Mount Sinai and finds a cave, where he spends the night.

God’s sending Elijah to Mount Sinai is significant. It was on Mount Sinai centuries earlier that God spoke to Moses and gave him the law. It is worth noting that Elijah’s journey covered over 200 miles and that he didn’t eat anything on the trip—only the food that the angel had provided for him in the wilderness. As the notes in the NLT Life Application Study Bible point out, “Like Moses before him and Jesus after him, Elijah fasted 40 days and 40 nights.”

(It is worth noting that, in Luke 9:28-36, Jesus travels up a mountain, where he meets with Moses and Elijah, who “began talking with Jesus . . . about his exodus from this world, which was about to be fulfilled in Jerusalem” (9:30-31, NLT). Jesus’ disciples witness this conversation and are filled with wonder and fear. Just then, a cloud appears over them, and a voice is heard from the cloud: “This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him” (9:35, NLT). God’s proclamation is far from a whisper!)

As we return to Elijah in his cave with the knowledge of the Christian story fulfilled, we should be filled with wonder about God’s great plan. I love what follows next in 1 Kings 19:9-14. Try to put yourself in Elijah’s place as the following unfolds:

But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”

“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

He replied again, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” (NLT)
 

What follows, of course, is the continued unfolding of God’s story and plan for the world. He delivers it to Elijah in a whisper, not in a scary earthquake or fire or windstorm. Elijah walks down that mountain and fulfills God’s wishes. He had thought he was the only person left who was still true to God, but he discovers there are many faithful people left during this dark time in Israel’s history.

Sometimes we might need a big storm in our lives to get our attention, be it a financial crisis, a sickness, or a broken relationship. But God’s message to us usually comes in more subtle ways. Unfortunately, with all the noise we have in our lives, we don’t always hear the whisper. Instead, we crawl into whatever cave we have found and shut down. God doesn’t want us to shut down. He wants us to seek his voice. You can start by praying to him right now. Begin reading the Bible and allow God’s whispers to fill your heart, so that you know what to do as you walk down your mountain and fulfill his will. Or begin by watching this three-minute video that probably echoes your life and ends with an insistence to be still and know God: God Whispers, and the World is Loud.

Ron DeBoer is a writer living near Toronto.