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. 1 Kings 19:11-13

Last week after dinner, during the normal chaos of our evening kitchen clean up, homework and the activity and noise created by 4 active children, Pam and I escaped to the back porch for a quiet moment together.  As we sat there, trying to have some adult conversation we found ourselves surrounded by a billion or so flying bugs. The hum, buzz or whatever you call it was deafening.  I read the other day that swarming cicadas generate a buzz of 90 decibel- about the same as putting your ear next to a running lawn mower.  After a few minutes of sitting in that roar, Pam said, “This is so noisy, I can’t even think!” And so we went back inside where Pam was instantly called to help Katelyn with her homework and Justin ambushed me with a nerf gun. So much for our quiet moment.

“This is so noisy, I can’t even think.”

Does that statement summarize your life too?  It seems like we surround ourselves with constant noise and activity. The radio is always on, or the TV.  The ear buds are always in or we are texting or Facebooking or chatting or going to a movie or running errands. Something; always something.

Maybe it’s so we don’t have to think.  Maybe we’re afraid of being alone, in the quiet with our thoughts.

The downside of constant noise is that it not only drowns out our thoughts, but many times also the voice of God. In 1 Kings 19 Elijah desperately needed to hear from God.  He was anxious, depressed, overworked, and stressed. He felt so alone.  His constant activity had brought him to the point of utter exhaustion.  He was “done.”  Ever been there?

God wanted to meet with Elijah but first he arranged for a demonstration of noise- a raging wind, a crushing earthquake, a furious fire. It was quite a show, but God was in none of those things.  God was in a whisper; in the silence, in the quiet. 

What if God wanted to speak to you? Maybe he has something to share that can only be communicated through a whisper- words of comfort, direction, affirmation or even correction.  Would you be able to hear Him?  Maybe God has been whispering all along but you are in the midst of such noise that you will never hear his voice.  What a great tactic of the enemy- drown out the voice of God with noise. 

Each of us is about to embark on a very busy summer.  But let me gently warn you- if you don’t create space to hear God you will miss the intimate moments he as planned for you away from the noise. Make room for some silence and listen for God’s voice.