A Still Small Voice

Reading: I Kings 19:9-13

Have you heard God speak to you? What does His voice sound like?

Here is a favorite OT story on hearing the voice of God. We join Elijah, the prophet who after fleeing the wrath of Jezebel into the wilderness goes to Sinai, the mountain of God:

"And there he went into a cave, and spent the night... and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said... 'What are you doing here Elijah?... Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord.' And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but 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 a still small voice."

So it was, when Elijah heard it, 

hat he wrapped his face in his mantle and 

went out and stood in the entrance of the cave." 

I Kings 19:9-13

In seeking God's voice in our life, do we think we do not hear, because His voice is not accompanied with awesome signs? He does not drown out the noise of our busy lives. It is difficult to "see" Him or "hear" Him when the screens of our mind are full. He calls us to a quiet place in mind and heart to hear His still small voice.

"... when you pray, go into your room,
and when you have shut the door,
pray to your Father who is in the secret place;
and your Father who sees in secret
will reward you openly."
Matt. 6:6

"Be still and know that I am God;"
Psalm 46:10

Is God Calling Me?

Reading: I Samuel 3:1-10, Utmost 2/13

Are we listening? Do we recognize His voice?

Young Samuel, just a boy, lived in the temple with Eli the priest and ministered before the Lord. One night, in the we hours of the morning, just before the lamp stand exhausted all the oil and burnt out, the Lord called Samuel. Samuel ran to Eli and said "Here I am, for you called me." Eli said, "I did not call you; lie down again. This happened again. Up to this time Samuel did not know the Lord nor was the word of the Lord revealed to him yet. When it happened the third time, Eli perceived it was the Lord calling Samuel and said to him. "Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, 'Speak, Lord for Your Servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

Now the Lord came and stood
and called as at other times,
"Samuel! Samuel!"
And Samuel answered,
"Speak, for Your servant is listening."
From I Samuel 3:1-10.

Samuel had a special prophetic call on his life, even as child, much like Jeremiah. At first he did not realize it was God calling to him and Eli needed to let him know what was happening. He taught him as a father. We as parents and grandparents have the privilege of helping our young ones learn to hear God speak to them. It says in Joel 2:28 "... I will pour out My Spirit on all people; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy..."

Think of Jesus when He said "... unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven... whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 18:1-4 Little children are completely humble and trusting of their parents. They are always aware of where their parents are and want to be near them. In the Chronicles of Narnia, I see Lucy like this. She is always looking for Aslan and aware of every breath of His Spirit. She see's things the older children don't see, because they are caught up in solving problems. In Prince Caspian, the battle was lost when they charged off in a sense of urgency; then later won when little Lucy showed up with Aslan at the bridge. Oh that we as adults would remain humble and trusting of God, desiring to be near Him, aware of His presence and looking to Him in times of need.

In My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers' February 13th reading says regarding this passage in 1 Samuel. "If I am united with Jesus Christ, I hear God all the time through the Devotion of Hearing. A Flower, a tree, or a servant of God may convey God's message to me. What hinders me from hearing is my attention to other things... even to service... my own convictions. God may say whatever He wants, but I just don't hear him. The attitude of child of God should always be, "Speak for Your servant hears." If I have not developed and nurtured this devotion of hearing, I can only hear God's voice at certain times. At other times I become deaf to Him because my attention is to other things..."

"Have you heard God's voice today?"

What do You Hear?

Reading: Mark 4:24, Luke 8:18

"Consider carefully what you hear".
Mark 4:24

What are we listening to? We live in an information age, a media age, with voices coming from our radio's, TV's, computers, email, Facebook, Twitter, and now even our phones. News, commentary, how to eat, exercise, how to live, how to do anything you can imagine, so many voices! Our schedules are fast paced and we scarcely have time to connect with our families, let alone our friends and neighbors. So coming aside to spend time with Jesus, to listen to Him speak to our hearts can be challenging.

What are we hearing? Imagine all those signals mentioned above, as radio waves we can tune into. There are rock and roll stations, jazz, classical and talk. Some of them have strong signals that are loud and easy to find and others you have to search for. Now, imagine the voice of God as a frequency we can tune into. It is not going to be loud, flashy or competing for attention, but quiet and you need to be in a quiet place, usually with your Bible open to hear it. Then, hopefully those words will abide in our heart, find expression in our life as we love those around us.

"With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and even more."
Mark 4:24

Basically, the more we drink from the well of living water, the more we will be refreshed by the water of life. If we use what God is stirring in us; He will give more of His word for us to hear. Jesus speaks of hearing His word and putting it into practice.

"Therefore, consider carefully how you listen".
Luke 8:18

How do we hear? Here are some sweet, simple suggestions from Madame Guyon who lived in France in the mid 1600's to the early 1700's... Come to the Lord quietly and humbly. Take in a small portion of scripture. Take it in fully, gently and carefully. Taste it and digest it, until you have sensed the very heart what

of you have read. Take the portion that has really touch ed you and turn it into a prayer. Praying the scripture is not judged by how much you read but by the way in which you read. If you read quickly, it will benefit you little. You will be like the bee that merely skims the surface of a flower. In this new way of reading with prayer, you will be like the bee that penetrates into the depths of the flower. You will plunge deeply within to remove its deepest nectar.

"Who ever has will be given more; and whoever does not have, 

even what he thinks he has will be taken from him."
Luke 8:18

When we seek God how do we hear?
Our faith comes from hearing the message of salvation through the words of Jesus, and our faith in hearing Him grows in hearing His words. It is in reading His words that we learn to recognize His voice. Believe God will speak to you through His word. You will grow more and more in hearing His voice.

"... faith comes from hearing the message,
and the message is heard through the word of Christ..."
Romans 10:17