When God Speaks

Still Small Voice

We hear a lot of talk about the ’still small voice’ of God the Holy Spirit. Just so you know, there is mention of it in the Word. 1 Kings 19:11-13 “Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces 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 a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave.”

I find it a fascinating description too. First we see a storm big and strong enough to tear into a mountain and smash rocks. Yet in this devastating storm there is no sign of God. Why is that I wonder? Maybe it is the fact that God doesn’t normally deal in chaos, He doesn’t speak through chaos and certainly a storm of the intensity to break rocks would have been chaotic, extremely noisy and frightening. As Elijah found out, God was not in the wind or storm.

Next came an earthquake. I guess it wasn’t a very strong earthquake as the mountain and, in particular, the cave in which Elijah was hiding remained apparently unscathed. Nevertheless an earthquake it was. Once again the chaos factor seems to prevail in my mind. After all, I would not be looking for the presence of God in the middle of all the mayhem and destruction of an earthquake, would you? I might cry out to Him during an earthquake but I would hardly be seeking Him in one. Again, Elijah found that God was not in the earthquake.

Then came fire. This seems perfectly logical to me. How often have we seen news bulletins of the aftermath of earthquakes where everything in sight seems to be smouldering as when fire has burnt itself out. So to see fire following earthquake is something I can equate with. Yet, God was not in the fire either and Elijah stayed where he was, in the cave.

Finally, we see Elijah emerge from the cave when he hears the ‘still small voice’ which was God. I wonder what he actually heard God saying? Perhaps God said, “OK Elijah, here I am. Come out and meet me.” Of course that’s pure conjecture but the fact remains that Elijah ‘knew’ the still small voice. Jesus said that His sheep know His voice. Probably, Elijah already knew the Lord’s still small voice. He certainly understood when God’s still small voice asked him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” but that’s another story isn’t it?

We can learn to hear that still small voice too. When we learn to recognise Him, then perhaps, we will understand why the poet wrote the words to that old hymn "Dear Lord and Father of Mankind". The words were taken from a longer poem by John Greenleaf Whittier. The adaptation into the hymn we now know and love was made by Garrett Horder in his 1884 Congregational Hymns. The final couplet says this :-

“Speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,

O still, small voice of calm!”

That will be God speaking to any of us who care to listen. Calm is the key. God’s voice is always calm and reassuring – never excited or loud. :-)