Whispers From God
Tiredness and apathy ambushed me the moment I awoke. Nevertheless, the responsibilities of the day stood before me, so I started going through the motions desperate for God to help me make it from one end of the day to the other. My head knew he was there, but my heart longed to experience the warmth and joy of his nearness, so I whispered a simple prayer that went a little something like: “God, I need to see you. I need to hear you. I need you to meet me here. Strengthen and revive me.”
I didn’t know what his answer would look like, but I began watching for his response. Would he reveal himself in some spectacular way? Would he miraculously intervene in my circumstances? I hoped so.
As I moved forward with the day, I pressed play on an album that recently came to my attention. From the first track, I knew I made a good decision. My soul engaged with the worshipful lyrics and music and I sensed God whisper that this was his answer to my prayer. Nothing flashy. Nothing dramatic. But you know what? Though not the answer I expected, my spirit lifted with each song.
The Lord then brought to mind his experience with Elijah recorded in 1 Kings 19. After a miraculous victory over the prophets of Baal, the prophet Elijah fled from Jezebel terrified she would kill him. Despondent and alone, he headed to the wilderness and then journeyed 40 days to Mount Sinai. There,
“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” (1 Kings 19:11-12, NIV).
I just love that although God is indeed capable of all things spectacular, sometimes he deems it best to reveal his presence via a whisper. For Elijah, his quiet voice provided the guidance and direction the discouraged prophet needed to move forward with the work God had for him. (verses 13-18) For me, his “still small voice” (KJV) assured me “I’m here, I know you and I’ve got you” and the joy of experiencing his loving presence and worshiping his greatness revived my weary bones and boosted my gloomy attitude.
God wants to speak to you too. Are you listening for his whispers? Those quiet moments are so precious and intimate with a power all their own, but we risk missing them if we only expect God to meet us in jaw-dropping ways.
P.S. For those of you who are curious, the album I was listening to was 3+7 by JUDAH. This is the debut solo project from the lead singer of Judah & The Lion. In an interview with MusicRow Magazine1, he described the album as his “stories of pain, doubt, brokenness, etc, completely in need of a God who loves and adores me. There came a point this year when a friend’s suicide sent me into a depressed spiral I could not physically pull myself out of. That’s where worship began again for me. A broken human in need of Jesus’ unapologetic, unwavering, constant love, hope, peace, grace for me. And as I pondered all that He’s done for me I came to a place where I had to share it with you.”
I’m so thankful he shared this gift of an album with the world and I highly recommend it to you. I realize that musical taste is very personal and if it’s not your style, hey, I get it. But I do encourage you to find some music you connect with and make yourself available to anything God wants to whisper as you listen.
1. Hollabaugh, L. (2021, February 5). JUDAH. Releases Solo Debut. MusicRow. Retrieved from https://musicrow.com/2021/02/judah-releases-solo-debut1/