God Doesn't Always Use A Megaphone.

Are you dealing with Self-Pity or Disappointment -Learning to quiet yourself and listen for God's gentle whisper of daily encouragement can be hard during those times.

"What are you doing here, Elijah?" -1 Kings 19:13

After Elijah had journeyed for forty days and nights, he found a cave to lodge in. But God had no intention of letting him stay there too long. He gives us room to make mistakes and time to mend, but He will not allow us to lick our wounds forever. He knows they will never heal that way.

Calling Elijah outside to the mountaintop, God sent the wind, earthquake, and fire along to keep him company. The noise was frightening. The voice of the storm reminded Elijah of the angry voices of Jezebel and her cohorts. The Lord's voice could not be heard because of the tempest. After the wind had blown, the earth had quaked, and the fire had died down, there came a gentle whisper. Elijah recognized God's still small voice immediately and wrapped his mantle around his ears! Was this to shut out the sound? Perhaps he knew what God wanted to say and he didn't want to hear it.

I'm sure in that moment he realized that the fire of Jezebel's wrath had frightened him so much, that it had distracted him from the gentle whisper of God. "What are you doing here, Elijah?" God will not leave us in our caves of self-pity. He comes to take us out of such places of despair and back into service. A new commission followed and Elijah turned his back on his cave and returned to serve the Lord his God.

Whose voice are you listening to? Is it the loudest one? God does not always speak through a megaphone! Sometimes it is the smallest whisper that he uses to talk to us.

Let us pray:

Lord,

Thank you for this reminder that often the loudest clanging in my life comes from the least important things. Help me to quiet myself to listen to Your gentle whisper daily. When I find myself in a pit of self-pity or disappointment, lift me up with Your quiet voice to a new purpose, a new direction, and a new job to do in Your service.

Amen.

With Love,
"B"