Shouting

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.
~ 1 Kings 19:11-12

This world is running on a short supply of hope these days and a big supply of pessimism. It's loud and scary and intimidating and uncertain. It's full of hurts and struggles and pain and fear. I hear the conversations, I see the people's faces, I read the stories, I feel the stress.

It's so easy to listen to the shouting. To allow the situations of life and the state of the world to twist your stomach into a knot and suck the peace out of your day. The shouting demands attention.

But so did the wind and the earthquake and the fire.

Elijah was hurting. He was running for his life, believing that the stand he had taken for God was worthless and would result only in him being hunted down and killed. Then God told him that He would pass by.

Elijah needed the Lord. He wanted to hear from Him. He desired reassurance and hope in a sad and scary situation. Sound like anyone you know today?

Then there was the wind, then the earthquake, then the fire. Big, frightening, attention-capturing events. I'm sure Elijah assumed these must be God. They weren't though.

Then at the end, as he stood on the mountain where he had just observed so much power but still hadn't seen the Lord, there came the voice.

The voice of God.

Small, quiet, unassuming.

Whispering hope, breathing life, restoring faith, releasing fear, bringing peace.

In our world of chaos, He still speaks the same things to us.

Listen for the whisper.