Sometimes God whispers when He speaks. Just like He did with Elijah when he hid in a cave on Mount Horeb. It was there that Elijah heard the still small voice of God. The Christian Standard translation of I Kings 19:12 is a soft whisper.
In our noisy world, that soft whisper of God can get drowned out. It seems we live in a world addicted to noise. Televison. Cell phones. Air pods. Constant chatter. Sirens. Traffic. It is 3:07 in the morning as I write this, and I just heard a vehicle driving by on the highway near our home. And just now another one going in the opposite direction.
All this noise distracts us from the soft whispers of God. Those God encounters where He reveals Himself, His purposes, and assignments for us. Those are sacred moments. I live for them. Sitting still before God is an adventurous thrill waiting to see what God does next or what He speaks next. To be still before Him, to eliminate all the noise has to be an intentional choice on our part. We must choose to forsake the company of people to keep company with God.
Whether it be reading the scriptures or listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit, God has things to say to His people if we will take the time to listen. We must learn to discipline ourselves to be constantly attuned to Him. Morning, day, and night constantly aware of His desire to meet with us and to communicate through communion.
On the other hand, there are times when God shouts. When He speaks like thunder in such obvious ways it is impossible to miss. He did this on the Mount of Transfiguration shouting, "This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him. Listen to Him." [Matt 17:5]. The next verse reports when the disciples heard God's shout they fell facedown and were terrified.
There are times when God shouts. For me that has always happened through reading His word. When God really wants to get my attention, certain verses will start showing up over and over again at random times and in various ways. I recall a time when God shouted [Heb 11:8]. I could not get away from that verse. I was stunned when I preached a youth camp, and that verse was the theme verse. All week I saw that verse printed on t-shirts. His shout was hard to miss.
Another time He shouted to me [Matt 16:24] and [Luke 9:23]. The message to follow seemed to show up everywhere. In scripture. In books I read. On the church marquee. Even on the radio at the barbershop with Chris Tomlin's single, "I Will Follow." The message to follow Jesus reverberated through my mind. I could not miss it.
Whether God chooses to softly whisper or to shout, we should listen. We never know when and how He will show up with a timely message for us. Messages of comfort. Messages of rebuke. Messages of His calling with His assignments. Prophetic words. Messages of His enduring love. And for the masses, the message of salvation.
When I woke up, I really had no intention of writing anything. Then the soft whisper of, "Sometimes I whisper and sometimes I shout," came to me. Maybe this will help someone. Perhaps today God will whisper and shout a fresh word to you that will make a world of difference. Keep listening. Posture yourself to hear from Him. I assure you He has something to say.
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