Awaken Day 6 Still, Small Voice

Psalm 62
1 Kings 19:9-18
Mark 1:35-39

Awaken, Day 6

I HATE silence!
It is deafening to me.

In college, I always had my headphones in.
I studied with music, wrote papers while watching television and took tests in crowded rooms. I have always, and still do, craved noise and busyness. When I am alone in a quiet place, I seek out something to drown out the incessant silence.

Counter to my noise-hungry-soul, 1 Kings 19:11-13 brings the story of Elijah, a servant of God afraid and running for his life, who, in the quietest of moments, encounters God’s voice.

Elijah is hiding in the wilderness and on the run from wicked Queen Jezebel, who would love nothing more than to kill him for threatening her power. While in the wilderness, depression and loneliness hit hard, and Elijah cried out to God.
And God showed up.
A tornado ransacked the area.
An earthquake shook Elijah’s cave.
Wild fires blazed around him.
But God was in none of these mighty things.
Just when God had Elijah’s rapt attention, the Lord God spoke in a still, small voice.
The God of All came near in a still, small voice, beckoning him to listen.

Through Elijah’s encounter, I have understood that God speaks in a hush.
And boy am I convicted!

Because if God speaks into the quiet,
then am I will never hear Him with all of my noise.

Being an extrovert, I seek out noise because it’s how God crafted me;
being around people energizes me.
While that is a gift and a tool to be used to build God’s Kingdom, I know God is teaching me get my energy from Him as I focus on listening to His voice. He is leading me to be still and quiet that He can have space to speak as He shows me more of Himself.

Many of us are busy and frantic, “doing things for God”, all the while missing out on quiet times with Him. When God whispered to Elijah it was an invitation to communicate with Him to be honest and transparent before the Lord. God spoke, but Elijah listened and was encouraged because he walked away knowing God better.
Tucked away in the midst of still, quiet moments lies an invitation for each of us for our relationship with the Lord to grow deeper, our faith to be strengthened, our hearts to know the Father better, and as a result, our lives will produce much fruit.

This noise-lovin’-girl finds herself questioning if “quiet time” and being still and listening to God is even necessary, but Jesus Himself shows us in Mark 1:35-37 how necessary it is.

“And rising very early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
He departed and went out to a desolate place,
and there He prayed.” Mark 1:35

Jesus had just begun His earthly ministry.
He had just preached the gospel in Capernaum and validated the power of His message by healing people and casting out demons.
The people had never seen anything like this before and were chasing after Him relentlessly. They wanted Him to perform more miracles, do big things, squelch the Roman authority, but Christ’s focus wasn’t on those showy acts.
He came to restore relationship with us that we might know Him.
Because relationship was His focal point, quiet prayer with the Father took center stage.
This was Jesus’ rhythm, this was His food, this was His necessity.

Regardless of all the things you think you need in the span of a day, I guarantee you need quiet with Jesus most.

Each of our days are furiously frenzied.
Find your quiet.

In the middle of folding laundry, you pull out your Bible to meet with Jesus in the midst of mismatched socks.
Rocking a babe to sleep and there, instead of scrolling social media, you meet with the Almighty.
Early morning.
Before bed.
The when isn’t nearly as important as the determined intentionality because you know you need it.

I need it.

The Lord knows that in order for us to accomplish what He intends for our busy days, He must first have our rapt attention that He might show us His heart and prepare us for the day ahead. If Jesus needed it, we absolutely need it!

Silence, the thing I’ve been running from, is actually becoming my “necessary”.

Sisters, I challenge you along with myself to take 30 minutes each day to be still, and listen to the Lord. Read His word and wait for His whisper.
No music, no phones, no distractions, just you and the Lord.
A challenge? Yes! But if it truly is our necessity, the Lord will strengthen us as we fight for space to hear His voice.

Come ready, expecting to hear God tell you things you’ve been too busy and distracted to hear before.

I am expecting that He will
answer questions,
send breakthroughs,
heal hurts,
reveal next steps,
and romance me as He shows me His heart.

May the prayer of the psalmist become our own heart’s cry with no exclusions:
“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.
Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us.”  Psalms 62:5-8

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