Wide Open Wonderment

God’s Whisper

written by Rachel Dube

During our times of deepest trial, we know the promise in Romans 8:28, that God is always working ALL things for our good. There are so many blessings that the Father wants to work in us and give to us through the various levels of suffering we experience in this world, whether the difficulties coming to us are persecution because of our life for Christ, a result of someone else’s sin toward us, an attack from the enemy, or a consequence of our own sin. When we are called according to God’s purpose (meaning we have the salvation Jesus won for us on the cross) and we love Him, then He will work in all of these trials to bring about our spiritual blessing and make us more like Christ: to help us to bear the fruit of the spirit, to deliver us from strongholds of sin, to restore and redeem our relationships, to give us the ability to love the unlovely and forgive the undeserved, to bring us to new revelations of God’s character and His plan for us, to reveal to us the good work He has prepared for us to do… and that is just the beginning.

God’s gifts to us do not just come from Him, like money sent in the mail from a detached father, but they are always found through Him and in Him. Intimacy (honesty and closeness) with God through Christ is the source of our every good. Psalm 16:2 (NIV) says, “apart from (Him) we have no good thing.”

The inspiration for this poem comes from 1 Kings 19. Elijah is waiting to hear from the Lord and does not hear Him in the most obvious things that draw his attention. He hears Him in a whisper.

Read these scriptures also for further study in this:

Matthew 11:28-30, Psalm 46, Hebrews 12:18

I hope this encourages you in times when the heavy cares of this world seem to shout louder than the voice of the ever-present One who cares for us.

Voices surround you. Bombard. What is true?

Fear creeps up like a shadow behind you.

Worry tugs and tightens in your chest.

Tossing and turning, anxious unrest.

All of creation groans.

You can see the pain and hear the moans.

You see the power of the wind as mountains break You hear the earth rumble and violently quake.

You feel the heat of the fire and sense the danger threaten

You listen for God’s voice in the midst of sounds that deafen,

Where is He among these sounds of power, threat, attention?

Shouldn’t His voice be loud and clear when I’m searching, filled with question?

But God’s voice is not always where you might expect it.

He is not a formula for good results or a simple answer to a question.

His voice is not in the wind, nor in the quake, nor in the fire.

He does not shout above the noise of the earth, this is not His desire.

He is not heard through ceaseless striving.

His peace is not found in answer finding.

He does not want us to figure it out or get it right.

This burden is too heavy for us and His burden is light.

Where is He when I am weighed down, heavy in my soul?

When I am afraid or anxious or am feeling less than whole?

His life-giving voice is always here.

The question is not, “Is He speaking?” but rather, “Am I quiet enough to hear?”

There is no shout. No manipulation.

No force. Only an invitation.

How does a loving father speak when His child is on his knee?

He lets the softness of His voice drown out the sounds that compete.

Wait for Him. Step back from all other things and hide away,

From the sounds in and around you, from the busyness of the day.

Retreat for just a moment. Be still with Him.

He is intimate. A lover. He wants to draw you in.

Every thought that comes to mind, every fear and every care,

Don’t push them away, throw them fully on Him; for that is why He’s there.

See His love for you in His hands and feet.

See Him carrying your burdens on himself on the tree.

He does not want you to come trembling with fear.

For the Lion devoured His own son so you could come near.

Don’t come as an orphan, wondering how to secure your money or safety or daily bread.

Come to Him as His royal child, knowing that from His hand, all your needs will be met.

Come to Him. He is already there.

There is no hiding. He is already aware.

With power in the form of gentleness

And strength that looks like meekness.

With grace and mercy for you, His child, Because His Son received His justice.

Lean your ear to the heart of your Father.

He is always present; you are never a bother.

He is not like the sounds of the world, His touch is more tender.

His voice is much softer.

Don’t wander through each day and miss it altogether.

Come in close.

Closer still.

Now listen for His whisper.