And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
Summary: As we blindly stumble through our spiritual surroundings, God speaks to us in quiet ways. Learning to recognize his voice is a challenge worth accepting.
Reading the Bible can seem confusing for many reasons. It is unique as books go. When we first come to the Bible from a human perspective without understanding the spiritual, nothing makes sense. The entire book is written from a spiritual perspective.
Because God is the Author, the Bible is also authoritative. God, after all, created you, me, and everything around us. Every single atom in existence relies on God for the energy to keep it going. Without God’s continual support, all of creation would slowly wind down like a child’s toy. Eventually, it would stop completely, and as every atom collapsed on itself, the world and everything around it would disappear.
In the Bible, the Author of Creation tells us the story of creation, and how mankind came to be. Then he tells us how everything went wrong.
If Adam and Eve had not sinned, that is they had not disobeyed God’s instruction not to eat from the forbidden tree, we would not have a Bible because we would not need one. Mankind would exist in a garden and each of us would walk with God every day. Like a child engrossed in the wonder of discovery, we would lack any awareness of self. Our relationship with God and with each other would be perfect, without flaws.
Sadly, Adam and Eve sinned. They “missed the mark” of obeying God in everything. God gave us the Bible so we could know what we are missing. More than that, he also gave us his Son, so that we could be restored to a right relationship with our Maker. The Son, in turn, sends us the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit “will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I (Jesus) have said to you.” (John 14:26)
So what does the voice of God sound like? How do you know if the Holy Spirit is talking to you?
There is a wonderful passage in 1 Kings about Elijah’s encounter with the living God:
"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)
The spiritual realm is filled with voices of all kinds. John acknowledges this when he writes, “do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1) The Spirit of God is a “gentle whisper.”
Just as the Word of God is consistent throughout, God’s Spirit never contradicts God’s Word. Just as the voice Elijah heard was a “gentle whisper,” when you hear the voice of God, you have to listen carefully.
About two months ago I attended an evening meeting at church to hear a man speak about his work for the Lord. As it turned out, he sat down right in front of me. When Pastor Rich opened the meeting with prayer, I felt this strong urge to put my hands on the man in front of me while we prayed.
I didn’t.
I didn’t know him. I didn’t understand. I didn’t do it.
Later, after the meeting, I was talking with our visitor and his wife and they told me about when they met and how he wasn’t going to church in those days. Finally, his future wife convinced him to come to church and when he did he was welcomed and prayed over. He related how meaningful it had been to have people put their hands on him during prayer.
I could have been that person for him at our church if I had listened to the “gentle whisper.” Trusting that voice is hard. God doesn’t explain. He simply asks us to respond in faith.
Application: Think about the times when God has spoken to you or nudged you. Are you learning to recognize Him?
Food for Thought: What kind of world would it be if God no longer spoke to his people?
Interesting question. Israel went 430 years in slavery in Egypt, and from what we know, it appeared that God was silent. But even though He appears to have been mostly silent, He wasn’t. He was still there. He cared about His people. They still had His covenant promises given to Abraham.
The reason I mention this is because there may be times when people feel like God is silent. But we still have His word. We have the advantage of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. He is still there.
It would be a terrible world if we never heard from God. But thankfully we have His enduring word to always be able to hear His voice. And of course, we have the word Incarnate in Jesus that we celebrate at this time of year (John 1: 1, 14). And we have the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1: 13 – 14: 2 Corinthians 1: 21 – 22). So even when we feel alone, we aren’t (Hebrews 13: 5 – 6).
It would be a terrible world if God no longer spoke to His people. Thankfully, we will never have to live in that world. But personally, He may seem silent. During those times we understand by faith that He is still there and He still cares. This gives us something very valuable: hope. Romans 5: 1 – 5; Hebrews 11: 6).
Thank you, brother!
You remind me that Job, also, went through a period of God’s apparent silence, and at the end of that time he found himself hearing from God directly. I think he may have thought the silence was better. 🙂
Life is not always easy and our path is not always clear. Yet Paul reminds us, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)
12-12-2022, What kind of world would it be if God no longer spoke to his people?
It would be a world of chaos, disorder and evil. And all who looked up would see Christ returning at the head of His angels!
As Rich says, we hear God through His Word and the conviction of the Holy Spirit and circumstances.
Proverbs 3:5-6, Romans 7:18, John 14:26, Philippians 4:13
The older I get, the more time I spend with the Lord, the more I see my true helpless condition, the power of God at work in all things, and the more secure I feel. Answers to insurmountable problems, great ideas, the desire to help others, the patience to help me enjoy waiting on the Lord’s timing. All good things come from God, and I must focus on living in humility to His will, His timing over my own.
I am nothing and He is everything.
HIS PEOPLE:
It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” –
Deuteronomy 31:8
THOSE WHO PURSUE THEIR OWN WAYS:
He will bring upon them their own iniquity and destroy them for their wickedness. The LORD our God will destroy them.
Psalm 94:23
Thank you, Ron.
Well said!
Recently, I got to go down into a series of caves (and underground river). We got to a point deep, deep in the earth, with the water up to our necks, and we were told to turn off our headlamps. The guide then told us how the first people that discovered these caves explored them using torches. If the explorers happened to trip and fall into the water, there would be no way to reignite the torch, no way to find your way out, and that was the end.
I think I thought of this while reading today’s devotion because that, to me, is what kind of world it would be if God no longer spoke to his people. Whatever small time you had left would be full of fear, and there is no way to find your way out. “Keep your eyes on me and walk where I walk” is what our guide told us in the very beginning. I believe as long as you are looking for the Lord, waiting for the Lord, walking with the Lord, He will reveal Himself to you in His time, not so much when you think you need it the most, but when He knows you need it the most.
Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
Anon –
I appreciate you sharing your story about the cave. I’ve been in caves but never up to my neck in water! Thank you!