I have never believed in coincidence.
FAR too many times I’ve witnessed and felt God’s hand in the small circumstances. It’s how He speaks to us. God’s work isn’t always accompanied by dramatic revelations. Just as divine silence does not necessarily mean God is inactive in our lives.
Most of us as Christians know (and have likely experienced) that God speaks to his children in a still small voice. Elijah came across this first hand when Jezebel sought to kill him. He ran into the wilderness and God sent an angel with food and water to strengthen him. The Lord eventually sends a might wind, which broke the rocks on the mountain to pieces. Then He sent an earthquake and a fire. But his voice was in none of them.
After all of those mighty displays, the Lord spoke to Elijah in the still small voice. A gentle whisper.
Because He is who He is, He’s not restricted to a single approach in communicating with his people. In Psalms and Job, His voice is compared to thunder and a whirlwind.
God didn’t have to use storms or other phenomena as a means to communicate. He spoke through His prophets all throughout the Bible. And most graciously, He spoke through his son Jesus. The writer of Hebrews writes, God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets. Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds(Heb 1:1,2).
The gospel, His living word, is His voice. A voice of love, mercy, grace, long suffering, tenderness, peace, forgiveness, and salvation. A free gift. So it makes perfect sense that He would most commonly choose to speak to us in that still small voice that encompasses ALL those attributes.
But do we hear Him?
I’ll say that again…
Do we hear Him?
I know what my answer is. I can typically be found forgetting to put God first in my day to day. Putting Him on the backburner and shoving His precious work to the side, in order to accomplish “my own” work. I forget to pray. Forget to read His word. Or maybe, what it boils down to, is that I just don’t take His word, His purpose, and ultimately His work serious enough to truly and fully align my heart with Him.
Thus, when He speaks to me in that gentle, soft voice…
…my mind, my thoughts, my heart, my world-riddened flesh, is so wrapped up in ME, that I. Can’t. Hear. Him.
Yet I sometimes have the nerve to think to myself, where is He? Where has He been? Seems like forever since I’ve heard His voice. Felt His sweet spirit.
In all actuality, I am the problem (Spoiler alert: that’s ALWAYS the case). I can’t hear Him or feel Him because I’m not communing with Him. I’m not talking to Him in earnest. DEFINITELY not three times a day the way Daniel did. I’m certainly not studying my Bible like I should be. Despite knowing full well that God speaks most clearly to us through His word. The more we read, study, and learn, the closer we will feel to Him. The more closely we feel to Him, the easier we can hear his voice. We can recognize it. And not only that, but we are FAR more likely to obey what we hear.
So what are we doing? What am I doing? Don’t we desire to hear from Him? To recognize that still small voice? To have that kind of power with Him? The kind of power that can move mountains. Perform miracles. Ignite our faith. Restore. Revive. Save our children’s souls. Heal…
The possibilities within His will are innumerable.
Growing in Grace 