“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.”

 “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you. . .” (2 Peter:3:9).

I for one am exceedingly glad that God is patient with me. How about you? You see, no one knows how frequently I fall short of what I know God desires of me. Day in and day out I mess up, yet God remains patient with me. Sound familiar?

There are two words in the above passage that caught my attention; “overlook” and “patience.” Each word is instructive for us. The word “overlook” implies that something is not hidden or secret. In using the word, Peter wants us to know that what follows is something that’s not to be hidden or secret. We are to think about it! In other words, we are to be aware of what follows. The word “patience” literally means to be of long spirit, not to lose heart in bearing the offenses and injuries others bring upon us, to be slow to anger and slow to punish. Put that all together now. Peter’s intent is clear; he wants us to be aware that God does not lose heart when we fall short of what he desires of us. He does not act quickly to punish. He is slow to anger.  

Here’s my point in bringing this passage to your attention. I’ve come to see in my own life as well as in the life of others that an important gauge of our growth in the Lord is an increasing awareness of our shortcomings. There’s both good and bad news in that. The good news is that awareness of our failings is reflective of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives. That’s good. The bad news is that our enemy (Satan) seeks to make us focus on how frequently we fall short of what we know to be right. He does not want us to be aware of and praise God for his patience with us. He would much prefer that we become frustrated with ourselves and give up. 

Now don’t get me wrong. We must not to take advantage of God’s patience. Instead, we should be comforted in considering God’s desire for us to submit to an ever greater degree to what we know to be right. He understands our flesh and longs for us to surrender more and more to his control. That’s the purpose of his patience with us. This now is where Peter’s words speak to the depth of our need. 

Simply put; we mess up. Yet God is patient so that we might be aware of our shortcomings, rest safely in his patience, while at the same time learning more and more of what it means to repent and yield to his oversight and control. That’s what growing as a Christian means. I for one am glad that God has been and continues to be patient with me. How about you?