The Still and Small Voice of God
God may choose to speak to us through a whisper.
I've never heard the voice of God in a distinct audible way. I'd like to. Perhaps it will happen one day. Or perhaps it will only be something I will experience when I reach heaven and meet God there. But so far, it hasn't happened. I'm not bothered by this. Despite not hearing God's audible voice, I believe that I've heard from Him and sense that I'm constantly being led by Him. That's because God speaks in various ways, not just (and not usually) in loud audible ways.
In my life, I have found that God often speaks to me using a still and small voice. In the first book of Kings, God spoke to the prophet Elijah in this way. Though God could have spoken in various ways, in this instance, He chose to speak to Elijah using a still and small voice. This is how it was described: "After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper" (1 Kings 19:12 NIV). Though God had other options, He chose to speak to Elijah through a whisper.
God can choose to speak to us in various ways. God speaks when we read His Word. He can speak through the counsel of godly and wise people. But God can also choose to speak to us through a gentle whisper. The thing about a whisper is that you have to be really quiet in order to hear it. If someone is whispering to me, I will hardly be able to make out what's being said if there's a lot of background noise or if I'm not paying attention or if I'm talking at the same time. In order for me to hear what's being whispered, I need to be quiet and pay close attention.
It's the same with our times with the Lord. God may choose to speak to us through a whisper—a thought, a prompting, an insight, an idea. But in order to hear it and receive it, we need to quiet down enough to be able to pay attention to it. We need to set aside time and space to simply be in God's presence and receive from Him. It's hard to listen to the still and small voice of God if we're busy doing a whole bunch of other things.
In order to hear God's still and small voice, I try my best to spend some time every day in contemplation (what I define as "holy thinking") and with my journal. I attempt to discover the ways of God and discern what is of Him and what is not (using God's Word as a foundation). This helps me know what God wants me to do in life, work, and ministry. If you want to hear the still and small voice of God, you need time and space to simply quiet down, be with the Lord, and sit with the thoughts and promptings that come to you. You can't hear God in this way if there's too much noise in your life.
Barnabas the Monastic
Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.
