Small Yet Big
Feb 2, 1015
1 Kings 19:12 "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 "After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper."
It has been said the voice of the Lord is a still, small voice. Actually, there is only one place in the Bible where the voice of the Lord is describe as such. One translation likens His voice to a gentle whisper. There are, however, ten other instances in the Bible where His voice is considered as loud as thunder. So which is it? Is His voice a gentle whisper or is His voice a slap of thunder? I would suggest the voice of the Lord is both at the exact same time. Let me explain.
When Elijah was listening for the voice of the Lord, he was listening for what he thought it would sound like; he wanted the slap of thunder. The Lord taught him to listen more closely, to something so small and minute as a whisper. In this manner, Elijah could decipher the voice of the Lord in any situation, because he had learned to be in tune with it, being able to recognize it anywhere. If Elijah only knew a slap of thunder, then Elijah wouldn't have to pay attention very hard. It wouldn't matter if he was listening for the voice of the Lord since a slap of thunder would and could be heard by anyone. It would be easier if the Lord only spoke through a slap of thunder because you couldn't ignore it. But it doesn't work that way, nor is it best.
You don't want the slap of thunder from the Lord's voice. He shouldn't have to raise His voice at all. If He has to use His thunderous voice, then you'd better reconsider your relationship with Him or your recent behavior. In human relationships, one who is yelling is either angry or not someone with whom you'd want to be communicating intimate thoughts. The same is the true with the Lord. He'd much prefer to use a soft gentle voice and know you're actually listening to Him. If you've heard the small gentle whisper of a voice then you're more likely to hear Him at all times. He is always present and He is almost ALWAYS speaking. You've heard His whisper voice before and ignored it. It is the calm voice that tells you what you should be doing in each and every situation, but you rationalize it away because you're going to do what you want. Those are times when you've ignored the Lord and did what you shouldn't have done. It happens to the best of them, to me, too. We know the right thing to do, the high road we should take, but we take the easy route appeasing the flesh. We've just ignored the whisper voice.
If you ignore the whisper voice enough, He is left to no other choice than the slap of thunder, lest you prefer He ignores you, abandoning you to Hell. Sure, you want Him to leave you alone at times, but never the moment before entering Hell. Then you'll be so desperate you'll take any voice from Him. Elijah learned the gentle whisper and He never had to hear the thunder voice again. But the trick with Elijah, he consistently listened for the gentle whisper, always aware of it and responding appropriately when He heard it. When was the last time you heard the whisper voice and didn't listen?
If you continue reading the Bible when it describes the Lord's voice as a gentle whisper, take note of Elijah's actions. Scripture says Elijah pulled his coat over his face and met with the Lord. The act of pulling his coat over his face was an act of submission to the Lord, healthy respect and fear. When the Lord spoke with Elijah in the whisper voice, Elijah submitted to it appropriately. He responded and He acted in a manner as if hearing from the Lord who can speak like thunder. Elijah didn't consider the Lord weak and mild when He spoke with a whisper. Elijah considered Him strong and powerful, able to invoke just authority if Elijah didn't respond to the whisper, hence Elijah's respect. Consider Elijah's actions and do likewise. Listen to the small yet big voice.
Don't take my word for it; look it up: 2 Sam 22:14, 1 Kings 19:9-13, Job 40:9
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