“And after the fire the sound of a low whisper… and behold there came a voice to Elijah…” (I Kings 19:12).

God is most assuredly able to get his message to us in any way he chooses. He has given us his Word and the Holy Spirit as his main means of speaking to his children. How has God spoken to you lately? My guess is that if you can’t answer that question, it’s not because he’s not speaking, but rather because you’re not listening. Would you agree?

The passage quoted above contains some important lessons for us in our day. You see, we live in an age where we’re bombarded with messages of all types. From the moment we get up till we fall asleep at night, it seems as though someone wants our attention. It appears as though the louder the message the better. Yet God often chooses to speak to us in soft, almost imperceptible ways. The problem is that we’re often too busy to hear what he is saying. 

Think of it this way. As Christians, we’re certainly attuned to God’s voice when our world falls apart unexpectedly. There is not one person among us this morning who has not wondered what God might be saying when difficult circumstances enter our lives. As Christians, we’re committed to the truth that God is in all the events of our lives and may choose to use unexpected and even unpleasant things to get our attention. Yet I wonder if we’re attuned to God’s voice in the “sound of a low whisper.” 

Let me ask you this question. When is the last time you’ve heard God speak to you in a whisper? He uses his Word, the inner voice of the Holy Spirit, as well as the wisdom of others to communicate his will to us. My experience is that when I don’t hear or heed the “low whisper,” he may use other means to get my attention. In other words, it’s better to tune our ears to the “low whisper” as opposed to God using other means to get our attention.

Here’s what I suggest you consider. Each day during your time of personal devotions, spend 3-5 minutes in complete silence. Either immediately before or after reading the scriptures, make it a habit to be silent and listen for the “whisper” of God’s voice. It may feel awkward at first, but trust me; it will yield wonderful blessings in your life.

Understand at the outset that it will be a fight to cultivate such a time of silence. Be assured, the enemy will fill your mind will all manner of distractions. Let me encourage you to fight for it. The most wonderful lessons of life come to us from the Lord when we are silent before him and cultivate the ability to hear the “low whisper.” Once it becomes a daily habit, we’ll be able to identify with Elijah as he “heard the voice of the Lord.”

“For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, 'Fear not, I am the one who helps you'” (Isaiah 41:13).

One of my most treasured memories as the father of young children (repeated now with my grandchildren) is the wonderful way in which the kids instinctively reached up to take my hand whenever they sensed the need to do so. Perhaps on a walk or in the presence of strangers, when crossing the street or climbing the stairs, they knew when they needed assurance and help. At such times, they reached to take my hand in a natural and easy manner. That’s the picture I have in mind each time I read Isaiah’s words. With that in mind, let me ask you this question as you consider the passage quoted above. What do you reach for when you sense the need for help?

I’ve come to see that far too many people reach for the wrong thing. At times we reach for things that in retrospect we know would be of little or no help. At other times, we reach for other people to assist us. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that. However, I wonder how many of us instinctively reach for God’s hand when fear threatens us.

In that light, I am reminded of the story of Peter when he saw Jesus walking on the water towards the disciples. In Matthew we read, “Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord save me!’” In that passage, we see that Peter’s sight was actually a hindrance to him, and for this reason. Once he had stepped out of the boat, the waves were none of his business. His only concern should have been maintaining his focus on Christ. In Peter’s case, he let go of God’s hand and began to sink.

There is a huge lesson in this for each of us. You see, there are times when we should maintain a tight grip on God’s hand as opposed to gauging the danger we’re facing. Gauging the danger can be a danger in and of itself. That does not mean that we should be unaware of the danger we face. It does mean however that, as soon as we focus on the threat at the expense of gripping tightly to God’s hand, it’s only a matter of time before we begin to sink just as Peter did.

Are you in need of someone to hold your hand right now? Is there a measure of fear surrounding a situation you are facing and about which you feel powerless? God’s hand is always extended to us. He extends it, but we must reach for it. As you reach for God’s hand, would you do what Peter did not do; leave the waves to God and grip tightly?

“Listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching you, and do them…  Watch yourselves very carefully… Keep these statutes, which I command you today, that it may go well with you… You shall be careful therefore to do as the Lord your God has commanded you.” (Deuteronomy 4:1, 15, 40; 5:32).

An old preacher once made the following statement: “It’s not what I don’t know about the Bible that bothers me. What bothers me about the Bible is what I do know yet fail to obey.” Does that statement ring true with you?

My guess is that most of us know far much more about the Bible than we incorporate into our lives on a daily basis. That’s not good. What it signifies is that there is a measure of disobedience in our lives. That’s where the above passage impacts each of us.

The words cited above were spoken by Moses as part of his instructions to the Hebrew people just prior to their entering the Promised Land. The people had witnessed the judgment of God upon them for the past forty years. They did not trust the Lord, thus an entire generation passed away before they were ready to possess the land that God promised them. Moses’ instructions to them were prompted by a very certain reality. God expects obedience. When we obey, God blesses. When we disobey, we will always experience the consequences; always.  At one point in his discourse, he said, “If you act corruptly, you will be utterly destroyed.”

Here now is where Moses’ words apply to our lives these many centuries later. There are most likely things we know the Bible teaches, things we know God expects from us as it relates to obedience, yet things that we ignore or flatly refuse to submit to. Frankly, that’s a scary place to be. It signifies our awareness of what God expects, but at the same time our refusal to act accordingly. Let me make this hurt a little more.

Let me ask you to do something this week. Ask God to show you an area in your life in which you are not acting in obedience to what you know is right. I’m guessing that will take a fraction of a second before you become aware of something. That’s not the hard part. The hard part is making up your mind to start obeying, immediately. Delayed obedience is the same as disobedience in God’s eyes. Don’t be discouraged if several examples come to mind as is likely the case. Start with the single thing that most directly reflects your awareness of what God expects. There are two phrases in Moses’ words that caught my attention. He said, “Listen and do them… you shall do as the Lord your God has commanded.”

God expects us to obey him. Excuses are not acceptable. To paraphrase Moses, just do it!!

“Yet in spite of this, you did not believe the Lord your God, who went before you…
to show you by what way you should go” (Deuteronomy 1:32-33).

I am continually amazed at how blunt Moses was with the people of Israel during their wanderings. If you read the books of Numbers and Deuteronomy, you’ll find numerous statements that will make you wince. The passage cited above is such a passage. Let me set the stage for you.

After the Lord commanded the people to leave Mount Horeb, Moses recounted the wanderings of the Hebrew people up to that point in time. This is just prior to the people entering the land that God promised to give them when they left Egypt. There’s a sense in which the entire Book of Deuteronomy sets the stage for the people entering the Promised Land. If you recall, at the end of the book Moses died, and Joshua replaced him as God’s chosen leader. 

Now Moses had a definite purpose in saying what he did. He knew that the people had faced many challenges during their years of wandering. Further, he knew that more challenges lie ahead for them. He wanted them to know that God had been faithful to them in the past and that his record of faithfulness was his guarantee of future faithfulness. That’s when he reminded them of their unbelief and God’s goodness to them in spite of their disobedience.

There are truths we can take from this. Even in spite of our lack of faith, God is faithful. His faithfulness is independent of our wavering. There is never a time when God does not keep his promises, no matter how much we waver from his plans. No doubt there may be consequences to our lack of obedience (after all the people wandered in the desert for 40 years). Yet, we must never forget that his glory is linked to his promises. Thus, he is always faithful. Truly, his past faithfulness is his guarantee of future faithfulness. That truth brings comfort to me.

When we face the challenges of life, no matter what form they take, I wonder how many of us look back first, instead of looking ahead in fear or anxiety. It’s so easy to assume the worst during difficult circumstances. Yet I am learning that the best thing to do is to look back at God’s faithfulness to me. Whenever I do that, I see that what he has done for me in the past is his way of assuring me that he will work for my good in the future as well. That’s what Moses was doing. He wanted the people to know that God keeps his promises, even if they had not trusted him years previously. As such, they could count on God working for their good through all the challenges that lie ahead as they entered the Promised Land.

What does that mean for you? Well, that depends on the struggles and challenges you are facing right now. You see, if you fixate on your current situation, you will be less able to recall what God has done for you in the past. At that point, it’s easy to get stuck at the expense of sensing God’s ongoing promise to work for your good in all situations. Think back. It’s a good thing to do!

“Would not God discover this? For he knows the secrets of the heart.”
(Psalm 44:21).

The dictionary defines the word secret as “something that is kept from knowledge or view.” It’s not a hard concept to understand. We’ve all kept secrets at one time or another. Sometimes the secrets we keep are quite harmless, whereas at other times the secrets we keep have much darker implications and consequences. Keeping secrets isn’t all that hard when it comes to people. But isn’t it funny how we think we can keep secrets from God?

This is where the words of the Psalmist caught my attention this past week. I know of far too many people who think and act in a manner that they know is inappropriate for a Christian. They’ve kept it a secret from their family, their friends and others close to them. There’s a reason why they’ve kept this thing a secret. For one reason or another, they don’t want to be discovered. Perhaps they feel guilty. Perhaps they would be embarrassed or shamed. Perhaps they have crafted an image that would be tarnished if their “secret” became known. No doubt there are a number of reasons why people keep secrets.

Yet, as it relates to God, the simple truth is that “He knows the secrets of the heart.” There are no secrets from God. He knows our secret actions, thoughts, motivations, desires, struggles, values and failings. He knows it all! There is both comfort and a warning in the simple truth that there are no secrets from God.

I am comforted to know that God is intimately familiar with the struggles of my life. He knows my fears, shortcomings, inadequacies, discouragement and faults. I am blessed to know that God knows me better than I know myself. But there is also a warning inherent in the Psalmist’s words. We dare not think that we can keep our sins a secret from God.

Job wrote; “For his eyes are on the ways of a man and he sees all his steps. There is no gloom or deep darkness where evildoers may hide themselves.” The prophet Jeremiah put it this way: “’Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him?’ declares the Lord.”

Do you find yourself trying to keep something secret? Further, who do you think you are keeping your secret from? If you assume that you are keeping something secret from God, think again! Please consider this; there is health and healing when we keep no secrets whatsoever, not from men and not from God. There may be something you need to speak to another person, letting go of your secret. Further, there may be something you need to say to God, voicing your desire to no longer seek to be secretive before him. Whichever is the case, would you consider bringing all things into the open for God’s glory and for your good? You will be blessed as you do so.