The Whisper

Deborah
9 hours ago
3 min read

Series: Hear God

1 Kings 19:9-13

I remember I was a very young teenager when I first read 1 Kings 19:9-13 I was praying as my dad taught me to pray to hear and understand the voice of God.

After I went to hear Billy Graham I started reading scripture daily and praying before I opened my Bible. On the day I read 1 Kings 19 I prayed and opened my Bible.

1 Kings 19:9-13 says, “There he (Elijah) came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here Elijah?” He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek to take my life, to take it away.” And he said, “Go out and stand on the Mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, and the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in the cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here Elijah?”

And the voice, the voice I longed to hear…was the whisper of God.

The day I read this it was a Sunday afternoon. We went to see my Mom’s parents and the adults were sitting in the living room. I was sitting on the landing of the steps that went up to the second floor. I knew the adults were talking so I waited until we got home to ask my dad about this passage.

He smiled. He asked me, “did you expect God to shout? God is in the whisper. That’s why it’s easier to hear God when you turn off the sound of the world.”

My dad reminded me frequently to sit in silence and listen.

Since my childhood (and teenage years) I still seek the silence of God.

Much later in life after I turned fifty I was suddenly single again and I started sitting with a Spiritual Director. He was an Irish Catholic Priest and he challenged me to study the ancient monks of the early church who fled to the deserts to live in solitude. The desert fathers and mothers sought the silence of God.

That journey of studying and practicing the silence of God…the whisper renewed and amplified the goal of my life to this day.

Daily I seek the silence…and it is glorious!

Deborah

acrazyjourney.com

Practice

Spiritual Practice: Sit in the silence with God.

Deborah

Gratitude

Gratitude: while I am not actually grateful that I had a life change that left me single after I turned 50 years old, I am grateful that God turned it for good. Scripture tells us in Romans 8:28, “and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purposes.”

Be grateful for the silence of God. Selah in Hebrew is a pause (silence).

Deborah

Holiday Let’s Laugh Day

Laughter really does heal. It’s a scientific fact. According to the National Institutes of Health, “The "science of healing laughter" (sometimes called gelotology) studies the physiological, psychological, and social effects of laughter on the human body, demonstrating that it acts as a "natural medicine" to reduce stress, pain, and illness. Laughter triggers a complex, whole-brain reaction that releases feel-good hormones, relaxes muscles, and improves cardiovascular health.”

Laugh loud (to spread the laughter) and laugh often.

Deborah

Laughter Heals