A still small voice

1 Kings 19:11-12 (NKJV)

11 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; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

These verses are a part of the story of Elijah hiding in a mountain cave after fearing death from Jezebel. The Lord however had been with Elijah as he fled. God had sent an angel to minister to him after he had run a great distance. Now hiding in a cave, God Himself comes to speak to Elijah. God didn’t speak to Elijah in a mighty way, but instead He spoke to Elijah in a still small voice.

In the movie, The Horse Whisperer, Tom Booker, played by actor Robert Redford, employs his special gift of "gentling" horses.

A tense, New York magazine editor can't believe her eyes as she witnesses the gradual transformation of her daughter's horse from traumatized to tamed. In one telling scene, the horse, frightened by the editor's ringing cell phone, gallops off into the far end of a large pasture. Booker walks into the pasture and sits down, where he waits for what appears to be hours. The horse, drawn by its curiosity, inches closer and closer. Finally, it cautiously approaches close enough to touch the "whisperer," and allows itself to be led back to the safety of its stall.

That's the way it is with God, as he "gentles" the untamed or traumatized people who run from him. You see God is always close by just waiting for us to listen and turn to Him. There is no need for God to shout for He is next to us, walking with us and leading us through our lives. We all need to take time and listen as God speaks to us in a still small voice.