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 (NIV)

A Gental Thunder
A story by Max Lucado, from A Gentle Thunder : Hearing God Through the Storm

Once there was a man who dared God to speak.

“Burn the bush like you did for Moses, God and I will follow.
Collapse the walls like you did for Joshua, God and I will fight.
Still the waves like you did on Galilee, God and I will listen.”

And so the man went and sat by a bush, near a wall close to the sea and waited for God to speak.

And God heard the man , so God answered.
He sent fire, not for the bush, but for a church.
He brought down a wall, not of brick, but of sin.
He stilled a storm, not of the sea, but of a soul.

And God waited for the man to respond.
And he waited…
And waited…
And waited…

But because the man was looking at bushes, not hearts; bricks, not lives; seas and not souls, he decided that God had done nothing.
Finally he looked at God and asked, “Have you lost your power?”
And God looked at him and said, “Have you lost your hearing?”

God wants to speak to each one of us, but often we don’t take the time to be still enough to hear Him.  Elijah heard God through a whisper.  Has God been whispering to you?  Maybe you haven’t heard Him because you have been looking for the burning bush or the walls to tumble down.  It’s time to see what God is doing all around you.  Look for the hearts that are being changed daily, the souls that are being won to Christ, and the sin that is being conquered.  Will you hear God the next time He speaks to you?  And will you respond to His beckoning?

Dear Father God, I pray I will be attentive to every way You speak to my heart.  May I hear You in the still small whisper and follow the direction You lead me in!  Thank You for continuing to show me Your way through Your Word.

Listening Intently,
Sarah