Hearing God's Voice

 
"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." 

~1 Kings 19:11-12

When I was a kid, I'd listen to WLS radio out of Chicago as I'd fall asleep at night.  That was a long way away, and sometimes, it would be difficult to tune it in through the static--especially if there were storms in the area.  I had to turn the dial very slowly, listening through the static, adjusting the antenna, trying to find that clear signal. Sometimes I'd catch just a whisper of music or a voice, and I'd adjust the antennae very carefully to get it to come in clearer so I could hear it.

Our relationship with God works much the same way. We live in a world full of spiritual static-- the noise of our busy schedules, the constant ping of notifications, the endless chatter of our worried thoughts. And somewhere in the midst of all that noise, God is speaking. But here's the thing: He's not always shouting over the chaos. More often than not, He's whispering, waiting for us to tune in.

The prophet Elijah discovered this truth in a powerful way in the verse today. Think about Elijah's expectations. He was probably looking for God to speak to him or show himself in a powerful way-- in the the wind that could move mountains, the earthquake that shook the ground, the fire that consumed everything in its path. But God wasn't in any of those spectacular displays. 

He was in the gentle whisper that came after all the noise had died down.  How often do we make Elijah's mistake? We're waiting for God to speak through some dramatic sign, some unmistakable miracle, some earth-shaking moment. Meanwhile, He's been whispering to us all along through His Word, through the gentle nudging of His Spirit, through the quiet moments of prayer when we finally stop talking and start listening.

Here's the challenge: if God speaks in whispers, we need to create the kind of environment where whispers can be heard. You can't hear a whisper at a rock concert. You can't catch God's gentle voice when your life is cranked up to maximum volume.  This means we need to stretch our spiritual capacity-- not just our ability to speak to God in prayer, but our ability to listen. 

It means turning off the phone for a few minutes each day. It means finding a quiet corner where we can sit in silence and simply be present with the Lord. It means training our hearts to expect that God wants to communicate with us, not just receive our requests.  

The beautiful truth is that God is always speaking. The question isn't whether He's talking – it's whether we're positioned to hear. Are we creating sacred space in our lives where His gentle whisper can break through? Are we stretching our spiritual hearing beyond the noise of our daily routines?

I want to challenge you this week to stretch your capacity to hear God's voice. Here's a simple practice that can transform your relationship with Him: commit to just five minutes of silent listening prayer each day.  Find a quiet spot – maybe your kitchen table before the family wakes up, or your car in the parking lot before you go into work. Open your Bible, read a short passage, and then simply sit in silence. Don't fill the time with requests or worries. Just listen. Be expectant. Trust that the God who spoke the universe into existence wants to speak into your life.  Some days you might sense a clear direction. Other days you might simply feel His peace settling over your anxious heart. Sometimes He might bring a person to mind that you need to encourage, or remind you of a promise from His Word that you needed to hear. 

The key is showing up consistently and creating space for His voice.

~Pastor Todd Creason