A Prayer to Seek the Quiet Voice of God - Your Daily Prayer - May 29

A Prayer to Seek the Quiet Voice of God
Written and read by Lia Girard

Bible Reading:
The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” — 1 Kings 19:11-13

Listen or Read Below:

I love how tangible this 1 Kings 19 scriptural gem feels. How, when Elijah ran up Mount Horeb, fearing for his life, to hide in a cave ... it took a gentle whisper . . . not an earth-shattering natural disaster . . . to move him toward God. Just reading it, I’m rocked by the shock of all the tearing, shattering, quaking, and burning. 

Yet God speaks softly.

I believe its purpose here is to remind us that God knows and sees our every action, our every intention. Also, that we can't outrun him, hide from him, or even, as this story reveals, avoid his presence. 

God will find a way to make his message known.  

And in this passage, Elijah thought he was the very last of the faithful prophets. He was terrified that he was doomed to be killed by Queen Jezebel. I appreciate how, in this exhausted, lonely state, God speaks softly. It's a beautiful way to remember that God’s relationship with you is personal, intimate, and sometimes calm as a whisper. It can even be silent, because God can move you wordlessly from within. 

To connect with Elijah during his anxiety, God uses gentleness. Yes, he commanded Elijah to return to a dangerous situation and to appoint new leadership, but with the holy tenderness of God.

God’s divine intervention and power are always evident in mind-blowing sunsets, torrential storms, or even the spine-tingling roar of wild creatures. But just because God is all-powerful, holding all of creation together, he can still and will always provide quiet direction. I know I have, in times of prayer, asked God if I am hearing my own voice or his. I have asked him to cleanse me of my thoughts and tell me what his will is for me. Sometimes, we don't feel or hear God speak at all. And in these times, we trust that his apparent silence is part of the strength of his plan. 

There’s still so much to gain from seeing and hearing the glory of God everywhere. He crashes in waves, pelts in rain, and sings in the wind through the trees. Yet, because we live in a chaotic world where most of us battle cortisol overload or overstimulation, we may still miss the beauty he’s offering. That's why seeking the quiet voice of God can be so cleansing. 

Even Jesus, as we read in Luke 5:16, often retreated to lonely places to listen for God. If you’re willing to go somewhere secluded to connect with God in a solitary, silent way, it’s possible to encounter him there. In fact, this quieter voice of God is sometimes the one we sense the deepest. If you wait in prayer for it, it can feel like a welcome steadiness of conviction or clarity. You don’t even have to pray for it out loud. He is always with and within you. 

So, be encouraged today. Just because God won’t always cause a landslide to clear your path, he still wants to converse with you. Sometimes you need to go seek his gentle whisper. Because God’s whisper, which may sometimes manifest as a hush of intuition . . . is just as strong as a great wind, quake, or fire in its ability to lift and refine you.

To equip you to receive his gentle instruction, you can silently offer the end of 1 Samuel 3:10, which says, simply, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

Let’s Pray:

Dear Lord,

Thank you that you are both powerful and tender. I’ve been feeling distant from you, even though there’s so much evidence of you everywhere. Life is loud, Lord, and I tell myself so many things that I can’t discern your voice. Help me clear space and time to be alone with you. To pray for your will to be what I feel and hear.

Even if I don’t hear you right away, help me establish a habit of finding solitude to listen for your gentle whisper to guide me back on the path you desire for me.

I need you today and always. Amen.

Join the conversation! Share how today’s devotional spoke to you on the Crosswalk Forum.

Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/aldomurillo

Lia Girard is a seasoned writer and voice artist who formerly served as the Faith Editor for Crosswalk.com. She is the author of Wisdom at Wit’s End: Abandoning Supermom Myths in Search of Supernatural Peace, and enjoys spending time with her husband and grown children or walking in the woods with God.

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