1 Kings 19:11-12

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 die 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.

After the fire there came a gentle whisper…

I am sure that every born-again child of God has the desire to hear His voice.  It was only later in life that I realized how easy it is to miss God when He speaks to us.  I was appalled when I realized that I did not recognize His voice when I was young and taking the most important decisions of my life. I missed Him sorely!! 

I started to realize that He speaks in different ways: He makes us aware of “red flags,” that warn us not to do something that we might be pursuing, or His peace may elude us when contemplating a decision. I learned that I need to have a teachable spirit at all times; that I have to be willing to let go of something that I badly want, when I experience Him nudging me in another direction. I realized that He also prompts us to do things. If we ignore Him, we could loose an opportunity, or make a bad or wrong decision! I learned to allow enough time to listen to His voice and to trust Him completely!

To hear the gentle whisper of the Master, we need to spend time in His presence and be attentive to Him. We must pursue a lifestyle of praise and worship, as we cultivate an intimate relationship with Him.

At a difficult time in my life, He spoke into my heart very clearly. I was surprised when He told me to drive to a specific car dealership in our city. I did not need a new car, but I felt compelled to obey.  I got into my car and drove to the other side of town. On arriving, I saw three cars parked on the floor. A blue one, a white one and a red one. I heard God saying, “The red one.” I got out of my car and made my way to a young salesman standing between the cars.  He inspected my car and offered me a good price for her. With a sense of excitement, I decided to investigate all possible means to be able to buy the car. Not that I needed it! But God…

To cut al long story short; having pursued all avenues to acquire the outstanding balance of the total amount, I said to God: “See, I can’t afford this car and I don’t need another car.”

But God kept prompting me and a new possibility to fund the car arose…

Two weeks later, I found myself at the dealership once again. By then I had managed to acquire the correct sum of money to be able to buy the car for cash. 

As the day approached on which I was to pay the balance and trade in my old car, I was informed about a delay in the availability of the money. I went to the dealership to explain the problem.   The young salesman was adamant that he could not give me the car until the full amount had been paid. While he was explaining to this to me, the manager came up and asked what the matter was.  The salesman explained the situation to him, to which he responded: “Give the lady her car,” and with that, he walked off.  The salesman and I looked at each other in total surprise.

Needless to say, a few minutes later, I left the dealership in my new car. My heart rejoiced as I realized that my Father had shown me, in a very practical way, that He would not in any way relax His hold on me. Since then, so many other marvellous miracles have taken place in my life and I have come to cherish the gentle whisper of my Master.

Prayer:  Dear Lord, please quieten my heart and mind and make me attentive to your still, small voice.   Amen.