As we pick up the story of God speaking to Elijah, first there is wind, an earthquake, and fire. Any Israelite hearing this story would conclude that God had arrived. They would remember the presence of God, with his people during the Exodus: a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. The Psalms reveal that the presence of God was often signaled by a violent thunderstorm. Surely these things represented the arrival of God to speak to Elijah. But surprisingly, God is not in the wind. God is not in the earthquake. And God is not in the fire.
Next comes a gentle whisper or, as the King James Version translated it, a still, small voice. The voice draws Elijah out of his cave and asks him a question: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” After he Elijah explained his discouraging circumstances that led him to this point in his life, the Lord gives him a mission.
Rather than thundering through wind, earthquake, or fire, the Lord speaks in a quiet, small voice to Elijah and gives him specific direction about the future of his ministry. This is one of dozens, if not hundreds, of passages in which the Lord directly speaks to someone. Should Christians expect this to be normative for our day? Should we expect that the Lord would speak to us in a still, small voice? Does God continue to speak in a still, small voice, or has he chosen another way to communicate with his people?
I believe that the still, small voice is one of several ways in which God communicates his will to his people today. In the language of the New Testament, we might say that the still, small voice is the speaking of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. I find it interesting that some translations of this verse used the phrase: a gentle blowing (NAS) or a little, gentle breeze (DeVries, Word Biblical Commentary). The Greek word for spirit is pneuma, which is sometimes translated, “wind.”
So what might it be like to hear the still small voice? Is it an audible voice? How can we distinguish it from competing voices, or even our own desires? This last question is extremely important, because as humans we tend to try to justify the things we do, and it certainly would be convenient if God would tell me to do exactly what I want to do.
Last week, my son Chris bought an electric guitar. We took it out of the box, set it up, and Chris asked me to tune it. I went upstairs, played an E on the piano, and told him to tune to it. I kept striking the node as he tuned the guitar up, and then he said, “I can’t hear the piano anymore.” At that point, I knew the string was in tune. If my life is in tune with God, if I’m seeking his guidance in my life through listening for his voice, reading his word, and seeking the wisdom of others, then God’s voice and my voice are largely indistinguishable. God doesn’t need to send a dramatic vision or knock me off a horse (in the case of Saul) to get my attention.
I believe that the greatest challenge we face in hearing God’s voice is the multitude of voices competing for our attention. There are so many images, so many voices calling for our attention that it seems to me that God’s voice is muffled or drowned out.
This week I want to encourage you to spend ten minutes per day in silence. Once you’ve finished, reflect on how it went. If you’re not accustomed to quiet time, you will probably have a thousand thoughts running through your head. You will start to remember all the things you have to do. Old songs will come into your mind. Ten minutes of nothing will seem like forever. But stick with it – try at least ten minutes a day this week. Let me know how it went for you.
“Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16). I believe that’s how he knew the will of God for his life. It’s an example worth emulating.
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