Still, small voice..

In 1 Kings 19 the Lord wants Elijah to see Him, and He asks Elijah to stand on a mountain where the following events happen:

"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 (some versions say it was a "still, small voice", or a "gentle breeze"). When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave."

How often are we distracted and actually drawn away from God because we are looking for Him to be revealed through the storms of life, a miracle,  or an extraordinary manifestation,  when He is really right beside us whispering in our ear? Elijah saw the rocks violently shattering before his eyes, an earthquake, and fire, and he probably thought it was of God. And it makes me think, how often do we believe that until we see a miraculous event will we experience the presence of God? When God is really the quiet, still, gentle voice or breeze that we fail to notice amidst such chaos?


What I learned from this verse that even though God is all-powerful and mighty, and even though He has the capability to do miraculous things, He chooses to accentuate and reveal to us His character that is abundant in humility and gentleness. He teaches us that He will reveal Himself to us in the stillness and quiet of our lives if we listen. It also teaches me that if God speaks to us in a still quiet voice, that in order for us to hear Him we have to be still and listen instead of letting the chaos and busyness around us distract us.