One of my favorite scriptures falls in the Old Testament in the book of 1st Kings.
To set the scene we have the mighty prophet Elijah hiding in a cave trying to stay out of the way of King Ahab and his wife Jezebel!
God had sent Elijah to them with a prophetic message that wasn’t received well and threats of death were immediately issued upon Elijah! He Ran!!! He Hid!!!
1 Kings 19:11-13 NLT “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in a cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.”
We have voices clamoring at us all day every day! Everywhere we turn there are sounds, distractions, fingers pointed, accusations made, demands put upon, and decisions that need to be attended to!
Most of the time the loudest voices are the ones in our head! I’m not talking about Sybil-type voices but the voices of our emotions, our needs, our moods, and our desires!
HELP!!!
This is when we need to find a quiet spot and pray! Talking to the Father about said issues, worries, choices…Your topic, your prayer!
Then what?
Then the battle begins; our minds and the enemy scream the loudest! They are like a petulant child who is throwing a hissy fit so they are sure to be noticed and heard!
Now we come to the very reason I love this scripture…its my meter!
Is the Lord in the bad mood seeking vengeance? No! Is the Lord in the anger, spouting angst? No! Is the Lord in the slithery voice telling you, you are justified, you deserve this, you need this, no one will know, worry about yourself first. No!
Where is he then? He’s in the voice that calmly helps you to take a breath! He’s in the voice of reason that enables us to see both sides of a situation! He’s in the strength that magically appears and the resolve to get back up!
Our Lord is NEVER pushy! He NEVER leads by guilt! He NEVER temps nor harms! He LEADS ALWAYS by Love…and leads us to LOVE!
So, maybe the next time the winds are howling, the rocks are flying, and the smoke is thick, say a prayer, let the storm pass, and then wait for the Gentle Whisper. ❤️
Sunshine On My Shoulder 