A Low Whisper
1 Kings 19:11–13
And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
I am an artist at heart. I was a worship leader and songwriter for the first two decades of my church worker life. Now I am a preacher, which I believe is still a creative act. However, as my vocational call has shifted over the years, I have lost touch with the artist that lives within me. The truth is that I didn’t realize I missed this part of myself until recently. Lately, I have sensed God gently inviting me to slow down and rediscover the artist part of me that I used to live from so deeply.
A few days ago, this invitation became overwhelming. All day, I felt a deep longing to be moved by art. I went back to the things that often storm my soul. I tried reading poetry, but it did not satisfy. I skipped from song to song on Apple Music, still nothing quenched the thirst. I read a few pages from a book about faith and the creative life.
Nothing.
Then, as I was sitting at a red light on the way to pick my son up from school, I found myself experiencing a rare moment of silence.
It was in that short moment of silence that I sensed a low whisper. It was as if God was saying,
Be still. I am all you need. I am what you are looking for. I am the source and fulfillment of all of your desires.
We all have longings. We all have desires. In searching for something to satisfy those longings and desires, we can easily fall back into how things were in the good old days, pining for what was, to try to push us into the future. If we are super pious, we can convince ourselves that we are searching for God in all of this.
But the LORD was not in the wind. The LORD was not in the earthquake. And the LORD was not in the fire. The LORD came to Elijah in the sound of a low whisper.
The only way we can hear and experience this whisper is to find a place that is silent. Silent of worldly noise and inner noise. In that place of sacred silence, the LORD often asks us,
What are you doing here? What do you want?
It is in this place of sacred silence that we discover what we are truly longing for. As we sit in this silence long enough and often enough, we begin to discover that what we are longing for is not the created things of this world, but the Creator of this world. (Ps. 37:4)
Take 30 seconds to pause. Literally, close your eyes, take three deep breaths, and repeat these words in a gentle whisper over and over and over again,
“Come, Holy Spirit, come.”
From this sacred pause, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you through these questions. Be honest with God and trust that he desires to respond to you.
What does your soul need in this moment?
How has hurry hindered intimacy with your deepest desires and with Jesus?
What is Jesus inviting you to partner with him in the week to come?
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