Listening for God?

1Kings 19:12 - ...and after...a still small voice.

There's an account in the Old Testament about the prophet Elijah. He had been warning the people of Israel, and this is just as relevant today as it was then, about worshiping anything other than God.

He'd been faithful to speak the words God had given him to relay to these people. They weren't listening; they weren't hearing God's voice through this prophet. He was tired. What's more, Israel was threatening to kill him if he didn't stop. He stole away for safety and to complain to God that his work had not panned out. He needed a word from God for himself. 

He was met in the desert by an angel of the LORD. He was told to search out a certain mountain and he would experience God's presence. So Elijah traveled 40 days and 40 nights until he came to Mt. Horeb, the mountain of God, where he would have this encounter. The next day he was told to go to the top of the mountain and stand there and wait. God would pass by. As the account states:

1Kings 19:11-12 - and behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces 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.

I'm often curious about the disasters in the world. Could it be He wants us to warn us? The warning might be that He has told us in His Word that days like we are now seeing will precede Jesus' second coming. Could these things be considered the voice of God? Like we read above, He is not in the strong wind, earthquake or fire, but it's after these things...that still small voice that comes out of the disaster as a warning.

With the world so filled with noise and busyness, with radios and televisions, CDs and the everyday racket of phones, cars, trucks and the endless barrage of people talking (loud enough for everyone to hear) on cell phones everywhere, is it any wonder we can't hear Him? I know many do not want to hear, do not like quiet, do not want to understand the things of God. But for those of you who are curious....

Have you ever wondered if you've heard Him? Try spending time without all the clutter of noise around you. Try quieting your environment and try listening. You might just hear Him. You might be surprised to find He's been wanting to get your attention for awhile but you've not allowed yourself to slow down and be in a quiet place.

I love my quiet time. A lot of people know this. When I'm alone I'm always in some sort of discussion, whether it's with God or myself thinking about Him, maybe a form of talking to Him. Sometimes these discussions produce a blog! 

I like to take a few days every so often and just drive the back roads of Wisconsin. No radio, no CD. Horrors, some might say. No music? No talk radio? Yes, just the quiet and God's creation...and a camera. I covet these times too. His voice is very quiet on these road trips...sometimes all I sense is His magnificent artistic style in what I see. He doesn't need to say anything! It's all right there for me to see. I can recall what His Word tells me about His creation. I might sense a voice showing me where to look.

In a book I'm reading for Sunday school called The Power of a Whisper by Bill Hybels, he tells us that Elijah met with God through His creation and it changed his life forever. Like the event from 1Kings above, our lives can be impacted by a word that is just perfect for us to understand this amazing God we have. Elijah found out two things about Him: He's relational and He is near. Listen to more that Hybels writes:

He's all-powerful, yes. He is righteous and holy too. He is sovereign, he is majestic, he is magnificent, he is just. But what stunned Elijah on the side of that mountain--and what will stun you someday if it hasn't already--is that the same God who is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-everything, yearns to be in relationship with us. The God of the Scriptures is irrepressibly communal, hopelessly familial, and his whispers are still ours to hear. 

Imagine that. He wants to talk to us. He created us for this very reason...and the people of Israel tuned Him out. They wouldn't listen to Him; not even through someone else. Are you listening? Do you long to hear His voice?

Doesn't this pique your interest? To hear the voice of God? Wouldn't you like to know what He has to say to you? I remember that this was the one thing that sold me on going to church one Sunday. Little did I realize that I had had a form of desperation that afternoon. I was drawn to church the next morning and I received Him. I heard His voice in church through the words of the pastor and life's never been the same.

We can hear His voice in the smallest of things. It doesn't have to be a booming voice that will knock you to your feet. I believe it can even be in the small things that happen around us, like in His creation. He can be seen and heard in it all. But He especially wants to whisper to you. Spending time in prayer can bring a word if you can silence yourself and listen instead of always wanting to speak. He wants your attention so He can talk to you. Listen, do you hear Him? What is He telling you? 

His Word is a good place to "hear" Him speak also! Receive the Word of God with an open heart. Receive the Lord and His Spirit will help you to hear His voice. He will show you what you need to know, help you understand the things of life. Listen to what He has to say. Could He be talking to you?

To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear? ...blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear... (Jeremiah 6:10, Matthew 13:16)