Hearing His Voice
A Gentle Whisper – Part 2
Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 19:10-14
Key Verse: 1 Kings 19:12-13
After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
As we look further at Elijah’s experience in hearing from God, let’s study the gentle whisper of God. What would a gentle whisper sound like—look like—for you and me? Again, God can’t be put into our neat little boxes, but I think we can look at some possible scenarios.
It could be that God’s whisper to you would come as a persistent thought that you can’t seem to get out of your mind. You may try to dismiss it as a crazy thought, but it keeps coming back. It is very possible that God is in that thought, trying to direct your life. As you walk in obedience to Him, by faith, you will want to follow through on that thought. Later in our study we will look at some safeguards you can use to make sure these thoughts are from the Lord.
Another form a gentle whisper may come is what I will call a quick spontaneous nudge. In these nudges, God points out a need that He wants us to meet. For example, I was driving through our town and saw an old woman walking in the rain with groceries. I felt an immediate nudge to offer a ride. As I obeyed, I had a wonderful chat with this woman that I think God was watching over. I was used to help God bless one of His dear children. We won’t always know for sure that these nudges are from God, but I want to err on the side of obedience to the nudge!
Father, I am ready to be used of you today! Give me a thought or a nudge and I will obey your voice. In Jesus’ name, amen.