“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:11-13 (NLT)
Elijah was tired. He had just prayed down fire from heaven; prayed for rain to start again; fought the prophets of Baal and faced down King Ahab. He suddenly felt alone and afraid. And he ran away from all of the things that were overwhelming him.
After he got to Mount Carmel, God showed up. Funny thing though, God did not show up in the windstorm, the earthquake or the fire. God showed up in a very quiet whisper. And in that whisper, he started a conversation.
So many times when things are going all wrong, we want God to show up in something huge and miraculous. We want him to come in and “fix it” for us. But more often than not, God shows up in a soft voice whispering to our hearts. We tend to tune it out because we want to see God’s power. What we don’t realize is the power of that conversation.
There is power in a whisper that tells you he sees. There is power in a gentle thought that shows he understands and there is power in the fact that the Almighty God of the Universe has chosen to draw very near to one of his kids.
Don’t discount the whisper. There is more power and love in that gentle whisper than there is in all the windstorms, earthquakes and fires that you encounter. Because God is the one whispering to your heart. Listen for him and like Elijah, come out of the cave and talk to him.