The Sound of a Gentle Whisper

Meditations for Ragamuffins

August 17, 2023

The Sound of a Gentle Whisper 

“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.”

1 Kings 19:12 

The Prophet Elijah had journeyed to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God, to escape his enemies. Then the Lord called out to Elijah, “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.” (1 Kings 19:9b-10). The Lord’s response to Elijah is fascinating. God told Elijah to come out of his cave, and as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by. A mighty windstorm hit the mountain, 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, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, there was the sound of a gentle whisper, and the Lord was in the gentle whisper. (I Kings 19:11-12)

The Lord then asked Elijah, a second time, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Elijah gave the Lord the very same reply. And the Lord said, “Go back the same way you came” (1 Kings 19:15).

I believe there is a tendency among people to expect to encounter God in powerful worship services where the choir or praise team are good, the congregational singing robust and full of joy, and the sermon outstanding. Maybe so. But I wonder if God’s message to us through Elijah is that before we can experience the presence of God through power, we first need to experience the presence of the Lord in His gentle whisper. I believe Abba wants us to hear His voice as we sit in a Board meeting, as we visit with a friend, or even as we walk the aisles of a grocery store. There are things God wants us to notice, people He wants us to touch, and truths He wants us to proclaim. Regrettably, the noise of life drowns out the voice of God far too often.

My Takeaway: It has been my experience in life that my hearing Abba’s gentle whisper is directly proportional to the amount of time I spend quietly listening for God in Scripture.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2023 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.