Today’s Reading: Psalm 29, 46 & 95
“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. — 1 Kings 19:11-13
HAVE YOU EVER LONGED TO HEAR THE VOICE OF THE LORD?
When Kari Jobe came out with her song “Speak to Me”, it resonated with my heart. There have been so many moments in my life when I longed to hear from God; there have been times when I prayed for a word from the Lord to get me through a situation or to lift my spirits. God is faithful and He speaks to us in so many ways — sometimes audibly and sometimes in a gentle whisper.
The voice of the Lord echoes above the sea.
The God of glory thunders.
The Lord thunders over the mighty sea.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars;
the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon’s mountains skip like a calf;
he makes Mount Hermon leap like a young wild ox.
The voice of the Lord strikes
with bolts of lightning.
The voice of the Lord makes the barren wilderness quake;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord twists mighty oaks
and strips the forests bare.
In his Temple everyone shouts, “Glory!” — Psalm 29:3-9
Years ago, I heard the voice of God loudly say, “Stop!” I was driving home from church and all three of my girls were buckled into their car seats behind me. We were approaching one of the busiest intersections in town, and I stopped at the red light. When the light turned green, I took my foot off the brake and applied pressure to the gas pedal. As I started to roll forward, I heard an audible voice tell me to stop. As I slammed on the brakes, a semi-truck came barreling through the intersection just inches from the nose of the van. I did not see it until it was right in front of me. I have no doubt that God spoke to me that day in order to save all four of our lives — it was not a gentle whisper, but a loud voice.
“Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But this is the very reason I came! Father, bring glory to your name.”
Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, “I have already brought glory to my name, and I will do so again.” When the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder, while others declared an angel had spoken to him.
Then Jesus told them, “The voice was for your benefit, not mine. — John 12:27-30
Most of the time, God speaks to us through other people or through His written word — the Bible. But there are times in our lives when God allows us to hear His voice in order to teach us or to strengthen our faith. There are times when He clearly instructs us, like He did for Moses on Mount Sinai:
“Forty years later, in the desert near Mount Sinai, an angel appeared to Moses in the flame of a burning bush. When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight. As he went to take a closer look, the voice of the Lord called out to him, ‘I am the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses shook with terror and did not dare to look.
“Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groans and have come down to rescue them. Now go, for I am sending you back to Egypt.’” — Acts 7:30-34
I encourage you to spend time this week listening for the voice of God. Spend time in His word; find a quiet place to sit and wait on the Lord. Seek Him and He will be found — sometimes in a gentle whisper and at times in a loud voice; sometimes through a verse of scripture and at times through a preacher or friend who has been given a word for you. Give God your attention and listen for the voice of the Lord.
The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble!
God’s voice thunders, and the earth melts! – Psalm 46:6
Come, let us worship and bow down.
Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,
for he is our God.
We are the people he watches over,
the flock under his care.
If only you would listen to his voice today! – Psalm 95:6-7