SCRIPTURE – I Kings 19:11-12

11 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. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT

In this time of my life, my grandchildren bring great joy! They are inquisitive and opinionated!  They have learned to speak their hearts and the funniest things come from conversations with them. The twins are always positioning themselves to talk and be heard and the oldest waits knowing they will soon tire and be on to something new. The house is full of noise then… there are the moments when I hear a small voice from across the room, “Hey Nana can I tell you something? “Then a little whisper in the ear of something so important that no one else can hear. There are times when I clearly hear “I love you” with a giggle. Then there are times when it is all gibberish and I say tell me again slowly. When I still can’t quite get it, the little hands will cup my face as to say, “this is what I am trying to tell you, can I have your attention, listen!” and I finally block out all the other noises. I can hear clearly!

Elijah was worn and tired and wanted to give up when he heard the voice of the Lord. It wasn’t in the wind, earthquake or fire. It was when there was complete stillness. In Hebrew it is the sound of thin silence and is pronounced kol da’ ma ma da ka . Thin silence is still a sound but no other another sound is heard. Complete silence is when we hear the whisper of God. Elijah knew the voice of God. He spent time with him, listening to him. But he had to get through all the noise (wind, earthquake and fire) to be still enough to hear.

Hey, can I tell you something? Then God whispers in our ears, “I love you.”

written by Major Beth Muhs, ARC Command, USA East