God Speaks.
Everybody's moving
Everyone is going somewhere
With everything they're trying
Just to make it
To a place where I am not thereBut when the noise is over
A still small voice you will hear
I hope that you believe Me
When I tell you
That I will handle all of your cares
Just wait on MeBe still and know, that I am God
Be still and know, that I am God
Just trust and know, that I am God
I'm in control, I am still God“Be Still” by Travis Greene
When I am desperate to hear the voice of my Father in heaven, I often need to be reminded of what God actually sounds like. Criticism, ridicule, anxiety, and self-hatred plague my mind more often than I’d like to admit, and I can often mistake these loud voices for the voice of God.
This is why the Bible is so important. Reading it helps me to remember how my Heavenly Father speaks to me. When needing to differentiate feeling from fact, reading His Word puts into perspective who I believe God to be in that moment versus who He actually is. I don’t deserve the love I receive from Him, but He graciously extends it anyway. This is one of the many examples in which His ways and thoughts are higher than my own (Isaiah 55:9), and one of the many reasons why He is worthy of my adoration.
When I am tempted to believe God is far off, I am often reminded of the story of Elijah. He’s running away, terrified of being caught and killed because of the wrongs he has committed. An angel appears to him, providing food and encouragement to rest, and God speaks to Him soonafter.
9 He entered a cave there and spent the night. Suddenly, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of Armies, but the Israelites have abandoned your covenant, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are looking for me to take my life.” 11 Then he said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the Lord’s presence.” At that moment, the Lord passed by. A great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs 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. 12 After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Suddenly, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
(1 Kings 19 CSB, emphasis added)
In this story, many things become clear to me about the voice of God. The first is that He calls us by name. Both times, when God asked a question, He included Elijah’s name. I believe it’s because God wanted to make it clear to Elijah that He knew him personally.
As Elijah’s Heavenly Father, God knew Elijah had no business being terrified in a cave. Just like any loving Parent would, God knows where His children are supposed to be, both physically and otherwise. In fact, I believe that what was most distressing to the LORD was not so much the physical place where Elijah retreated, but the posture of fear that resided in Elijah’s heart. This prompted God’s approach. Concerned about His child, God gently urges, “My son, this is not where you are supposed to be. How did you wind up in this place?”
The second thing worth noticing is that the voice of God is near. God doesn’t say, high on His throne and separated from His child, “What are you doing there?” Instead, God draws close and asks “What are you doing here?” God is with Elijah. He meets His children where they are and lovingly leads them to the place they ought to be.
Finally, the voice of God is soft. God’s correction is always gentle. God was not in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire, but made Himself known through a soft whisper in the middle of catastrophe. He is the calm before the storm, in the storm, and after the storm. Through it all, He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7) and makes your path straight (Proverbs 3:6). Our job is to make a habit out of stillness, so that we recognize when He is speaking. It is only in stillness, when we cease striving in our own strength, that our hearts can be reminded that He alone is God and He alone is in control (Psalm 46:10).
When tempted to be swept up by the raging seas surrounding us, keep your gaze on the One who created the winds and waves. Create time and space to listen to His voice. The God who holds the entire universe in His hand does so while intentionally caring for you and me. You might not hear Him audibly, but you know when a thought or a nudge is not your own. When you prioritize becoming familiar with what He sounds like, you will find Him easy to identify, along with all the promises in His Word to be true.
God does not promise us an easy life, but He does promise us one where He is accessible. When it feels like the pace of life has taken ahold of the throne, remember that God is still reigning. God is still speaking. God is still with you. Are you still enough to hear Him?
1 Now this is what the Lord says—
the one who created you, Jacob,
and the one who formed you, Israel—
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name; you are mine.2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you,
and the rivers will not overwhelm you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be scorched,
and the flame will not burn you.(Isaiah 43:1-2)
My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow Me.
(John 10:27)
Listen To The Song!
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/1aw0nfjawvMpiY0O75Yl24?si=059b1c6983754a70
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/be-still-live/1263218689?i=1263219221
