Whispers: Hearing God’s Voice (Part 2: Elijah)

Our God is a communicating God. He loves to talk to us and listen to us. And He delights when we talk to Him and listen to His voice.  The story of the prophet Elijah illustrates these truths.

In 1 Kings 19 King Ahab and his wife Jezebel vowed to kill Elijah. The prophet was terrified and fled into the wilderness. He was at a point where he just wanted to die. Exhausted and depressed, he fell asleep under a bush. Twice, the angel of the Lord provided food and water to strengthen Elijah. After traveling to Mount Horeb, God asked, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” The prophet’s response was little more than a verbal pity party.

“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. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave” (1 Kings 19:11-13).

Are you surprised? I was the first time I read this passage. I expected God to make a dramatic entrance along the lines of a “great and powerful wind,” an earthquake, or at least a fire. But God didn’t reveal Himself to Elijah in any of those extraordinary forms. Instead, God chose a “gentle whisper.”

God certainly could have made a flashier appearance. But that wasn’t what Elijah needed. He’d been through enough drama to last a lifetime. He’d already witnessed God’s amazing deeds. This time Elijah needed the calm reassurance of a gentle whisper.

God whispers to you and me, too. Unfortunately, sometimes we’re too busy to listen, or we dismiss His message as something we made up in our heads. But, just like Elijah, God speaks to us in a gentle whisper. To hear Him we only need to be quiet, listen expectantly, and obey.

One Christmas my in-laws gave my wife and me a cassette tape recorder. This was back in the stone-age before MP3s and iPods. We were a little confused since they had given me a recorder about a month earlier for my birthday. We just chalked it up to her parents getting older.

Shortly before New Year’s my college roommate dropped by for a visit. His Christian example had greatly influenced my decision to accept Christ. Since graduation, God led him to be director of a Campus Crusade ministry at a state university. A gifted speaker, he was receiving many invitations to preach at local churches.

When it was time for him to go, we asked him for any prayer requests. He said, “Please pray that God will provide a cassette tape recorder so I can listen to and critique my messages.” I looked at my wife, she looked at me, and I left the room. When I returned I said, “I believe this belongs to you,” and handed him a recorder.

The whisper of God was very real to us that day. It also was a tremendous blessing to our friend, and to my wife and me. God whispers regularly. Are you listening?

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