He said, 'Go out, and stand on the mountain before Yahweh.' Behold, Yahweh passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before Yahweh; but Yahweh was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake; but Yahweh was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire passed; but Yahweh was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a still small voice. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle, went out, and stood in the entrance of the cave. Behold, a voice came to him, and said, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?' 1 Kings 19:11 WEB

Elijah, a seasoned prophet that knew the voice of the Lord, was down on his luck and sitting in a dark cave. Once the man of the hour, he was now a man on the run. Jezebel was seeking to kill him, and it seemed that all of Israel had turned against him.

During the night the Lord spoke to Him and told him to go stand on the mountain before Him. Then a strong wind, like a tornado passed by, but Elijah sat still. An earthquake shook the mountain, but Elijah did not move. After the earthquake passed by, there came a fire, but Elijah waited on.

Then came a still, small voice. The 'still small voice' was a gentle whisper. A thin, fine subdued sound, rather than 'a low murmuring sound'. When Elijah heard the sound of the gentle whisper, He knew that it was God Almighty speaking. He arose and went out to meet Him.

We are meant to hear His voice. That was His original plan, that each person listened to the Voice of God and obeyed, but in Exodus 20:19 the people were afraid and said: 'Do not let God speak to us, let Him speak to you.' Jesus said: 'My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me' (John 10:27).

Knowing God is not reserved for "special people", but open to everyone. God wants a relationship with every single one of us. Jeremiah tells us: 'They will no longer each teach his neighbor, and every man teach his brother, saying, 'Know Yahweh;' for they will all know me, from their least to their greatest' (Jeremiah 31:34). The day is coming when we all will know Him.

Hearing the whisper yourself changes things. Eve heard the first commandment from Adam, but it did not have the strength of hearing it directly from God. She added 'cannot touch' to it and was later deceived. Adam knew what he was doing, which in a way was even worse.

Listen for the voice of the Lord always. That gentle whisper will make all the difference and can turn disaster, despair, and terror into happiness, peace and joy.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, teach me to hear Your voice! Establish a clear line of communication between us and help me recognize when it is You speaking. Protect me from deception and guide me into all that You have for me today, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.