“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)
God doesn’t like to shout at his people, he much prefers to whisper. This ought to be a good thing since I don’t like people shouting either. However, the downside, it’s easy to ignore someone who whispers, especially if they are invisible as well. We see God’s preference for whispering most clearly when Elijah is in the cave.
When someone shouts, we’re forced to take notice. We hear what they’re saying, whether we want to or not. If they are shouting, it’s painfully obvious what they want. Often we want God to be like that—obvious. We want him to give us clear direction, to give us a fleece—a sure indication he has spoken. We’d actually prefer God to shout.
Yet our God prefers to whisper his desires to us. When someone whispers, we have to block out background noises; we have to lean towards the person, we have to concentrate, and we have to listen carefully. It requires time and effort.
This is what God wants. He wants our full attention; He wants us to lean into him. He wants us close enough so he can whisper.
Read more of my devotions here.
