Welcome, friend! Today’s devotional is written by our guest writer, Linda J. Reinhardt. If life has been noisy or your heart feels overwhelmed, this gentle reminder is for you. God often speaks in whispers, and today’s reading invites us to slow down long enough to hear the voice that brings peace. You can catch up on all the previous devotionals here.
“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. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.
And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.””
— 1 Kings 19:11–14 (NIV)
Elijah — a great prophet of God.
Filled with the Spirit of God, he ran faster than Ahab’s cart.
He prayed and after a three-year drought, the rains came down.
The prophet who, after an all-day event of watching those who called on their gods with no answer, soaked his sacrifice with water — not once, but three times.
He prayed and asked the Lord to answer him so they would know that the Lord is God.
God sent fire, dried up the water, and burnt his sacrifice, stones, wood, and all.
Yet one threat came from his enemy and that was enough.
Elijah was done and hid in a cave.
Ever been there?
Sometimes, wouldn’t it be nice to run and hide away from everything?
Recently while I journaled about the unhappy season I have been experiencing, tears flowed down my face.
I wrote about how the sadness I felt affected my responses to life, to people, and to issues.
It is the kind of sadness that won’t go away — the kind that stays and walks with a person for the rest of their days.
Sometimes when the wind blows and tears and shatters the world around me, or when the ground under my feet shakes like an earthquake and makes it feel as though the earth has opened to swallow me, or when the heat of the fire is so close I almost feel burned, it does make me want to hide.
Elijah may have hid in the cave, but God called him to come out of the cave, because He was passing by.
Elijah responded and he waited.
He didn’t step into the wind.
He didn’t try to walk when the earthquake shook the ground.
He didn’t step into the fire.
He waited for the voice of the Lord.
When he heard the gentle whisper, Elijah pulled the cloak over his face and stood at the mouth of the cave.
There a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
In this season it makes me wonder — what would I say if God were to ask me, “What are you doing here?”
Elijah answered God by telling him what was bothering him.
“I have been zealous for the Lord God Almighty.
The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword.
I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too” (1 Kings 19:14).
God then spoke truth, encouragement, and direction into his life.
Like Elijah, a person can feel like just running from it all.
Also like Elijah, when things bother us, we can have the wrong perspective of what is happening in our life.
Something that stood out to me in these verses: when God told Elijah to step out of the cave, he waited until he heard a gentle whisper.
He didn’t step out before.
In this season, it is easy to step into the wind, try to walk where the ground shakes, or step into a fire — instead of waiting to hear God’s voice clearly speak to me.
It is easy to stay fixated on what causes me pain, what causes me frustration, the hurts or problems that need to be fixed.
Instead of listening for God’s voice to be a loud noise, can I wait to hear Him speak His whispers to my heart, my mind, and my situation?
Can I focus on His Word and believe He will walk me through this season?
He knows the bigger picture.
I don’t.
Elijah thought he was the only prophet of God left, and yet God told him there were seven thousand remaining who didn’t bow to other gods.
I once heard a pastor say something so simply put, yet so very profound in its truth: if you put a basketball in his hands it would be worth twenty bucks, but if you put a basketball in Shaq’s hands it would be worth a LOT of money.
If you put mud and spit in his hands it might make a bit of mud, but if you put spit and mud in the hands of Jesus it can make a blind man see.
If you put a few fish and a few loaves of bread in the pastor’s hands you might get a fish sandwich, but if you put a few fish and a few loaves of bread in Jesus’ hands you will feed five thousand.
It’s all about whose hands you put your things into.
I know life can be hard.
It can hurt.
The storms can seem bigger and louder and make it hard to read the Bible, go to church, sit and pray, and focus on God instead of the storm.
Until — His voice is heard.
It brings you to the truth and brings comfort.
Nothing is bigger than God, even when He whispers.
About the Author
Linda J Reinhardt is married, has a daughter by birth and a daughter through guardianship, two dogs and a cat. She has always loved to write and to share, hoping encouragement, comfort, or truth will be passed along. You can find her here.
P.S. If this devotional met you right where you are, please support this site by buying me a coffee to help keep these devotions online. You can also share it with someone who is running a hard race. They might need this reminder too. 🤗
Reflection Questions:
Are you in a cave, and whatever is passing by in this season of your life making it hard to hear His voice?
What verses in the Bible can you read and memorize to help you hear God clearly and find rest?
What verses allow you to remember God has a clear direction for you to go, and will bring you comfort?
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