Around the time that our first child was born, I began to wake up earlier, giving me the sudden realization that I could function effectively with much less sleep than I thought I needed. I have chosen to take that time in the early morning for what I think of as the Holy Trifecta: Bible study, prayer, and exercise. (While there is also at least one cup of coffee involved with the first two, quadrafecta doesn’t have quite the ring that trifecta does to my ear.) During this time before dawn, I listen for God’s voice as He speaks to me through the words of Scripture and I talk with our Creator.
I have always thought it amazing the way God appeared here to Elijah, one of the great heroes of the Israelites. Elijah has fled from Israel’s evil king, Ahab, to Mount Horeb, which according to Deuteronomy is where God gave Moses the Law. God commands the prophet to stand atop the mountain and wait for His presence to pass by. When the wind blows, the earth shakes, and a fire blazes, Elijah knows that the Lord is not in any of these purely physical manifestations of power. Yet in the silence that comes after them, Elijah hears a gentle whisper (though a better translation of the Hebrew word might be a slight, barely audible sound). In that moment, Elijah knows that God is present.
All too often, we followers of Christ look for God’s presence in great miracles, in the loud booming voice of a host of angels, or in some dramatic fashion. We overlook those quiet times that allow us to hear the slight, barely audible sound of His Voice. Modern society makes this listening even more difficult with our constant access to things that prevent us from hearing God’s voice: cell phones, twenty-four hour news channels, and a myriad of other distractions. God will speak to us in that still small voice we can hear only when we take time to read His Word and to pray (which is not simply talking to God but is instead talking with God). Often the Holy Spirit will nudge significant people in our lives to speak to us exactly what we need to hear.