His Whisper.

It will be 20 years this summer since God opened my eyes to my sin, forgave me, and sealed me forever with His Spirit.

It's been 31 years that I have attended church.

While the story of Elijah is not as commonly told as, say, Moses and the burning bush or Noah's Ark or the birth of Jesus, it's still one I've heard many times.

And yet somehow, after all these years, I've still learned something from it that is literally transforming my relationship with the Lord.

Please, let it do the same for you!

In 1 Kings 19 we read about a very discouraged Elijah. Up to this point, he has been incredibly faithful and performed some insanely miraculous stuff. But now he's running for his life and convinced that all he's done has not accomplished a blessed thing. He's sure that he's the only one left of God's people.

After taking care of Elijah for a time, God tells him to stand on a mountain.

Behold, the Lord was passing by!

We know what happens next. But have we really paid attention to what happens next?

A great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord...

The wind was literally strong enough to start breaking the mountain into bits! Talk about LOUD. And scary!

but the Lord was not in the wind.

That was a pretty awesome display there, God. If it were me, I'd totally be in the wind!

And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire...

a voice of gentle silence.

Elijah knew immediately that God was in that audible silence.

And God told Elijah that he was not alone, so get back to work (1 Kings 19:11-18).

I know this story. You know this story. We know that God's voice is often barely a whisper. But why have I not been listening? Why haven't I been able to hear?

At a prayer retreat this past weekend, our teacher said this of His whisper: it is often just a simple thought.

a thought.

How long, Church, will we wait for Him to blow a mountain apart? How long will we ignore Him while we wait for Him to speak?

Yes, God is in the wind sometimes. But usually? He's in that passing thought.

Don't let that "thought" pass by.

And now, in expectation, I listen. And I hear Him.

Do you?