A Still, Small Voice

“And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice,” 1 Kings 19:11-12, KJV.

Chapter 19 from the book of 1 Kings reminded me of what God had said to me a few years ago. I was accustomed to seeking God for the things I needed, but for some reason left certain areas of my life “off-limits.” It wasn’t that I had done this on purpose, but rather I thought some blessings needed time to incubate in the heavenly realm. I know God must’ve smiled at my finite thinking or maybe He was disappointed because I had put Him in a box He had no business being inside of.

A few years ago, I was fasting and believing for God to deliver me from an unhappy situation. I never had a problem with seeking and believing God’s deliverance in the area employment. My faith was very strong in that area and still is. I sought God to have me working in the same place in which I lived. At the time, my employment was states away from where I lived, but I was trusting God for deliverance. When I had gone on a fast, determined to receive an answer from the Lord, three days later I was blessed with a response…a specific answer. As I rejoiced, smiling ear to ear something very significant caught my attention. It was God’s still, small voice. It wasn’t a shout or a parade of sorts, but a still, small voice. I heard God say to me, “I can do that in every area of your life.” Out of nowhere, in the midst of my rejoicing and only thinking of the blessing at hand, He said this.

It was after the storm that I heard this… I believe it was because God knew He had my attention. Is God trying to get anyone’s attention today? With the way the world is we can often focus on the depressing things and the rubble we may have to pick up after a catastrophic event, but what about the One who’s there interceding on our behalf? God is not to blame for bad things happening in our lives, although He may allow them. He tries to stop us from making mistakes, but it is our selfish nature that bulldoze ahead anyhow. It’s like a mother trying to stop her young teenage son from doing something he’d later regret, but he does it anyway. Sure this is different from God because He has the power to stop certain things (and He does at times), but He also affords us that free will to choose.

Who are we choosing to listen to? Are we consumed by the media and what newscasters have to say or are we on our knees desperately concerned about what God is telling us? Are we drowning out His voice with the loud speakers of life or are we seeking quiet time with the One who created and know us best? The sad part about it is that He’s in the same place He was all along…God’s location does not change although ours may.