Nudges | Listen | Small Voice

After the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. 1 Kings 19:12

“Hey! Why didn’t you tell me dinner was ready?” Hank cried as he entered the kitchen. He jerked the earbuds from his ears and looked from one face to another as his family sat in silence. “We did,” Molly mumbled into her milk glass. “I called you three times.” Hank’s wife lifted a brow as she scraped the dinner plates into the sink. “Honey, I’ve done all I know to get your attention at dinner time, but you keep swatting us away and saying, ‘Just a minute.’ That was nearly an hour ago.  You won’t pause your games, take off your headphones, or turn down the TV.” She shrugged. “Sorry, but we’re through yelling.”

What if God feels that way about us? We say, “Speak to me, Lord!” during commercials and before the game comes on. We glance at our Verse-for-the-Day and then surf Facebook for an hour. Even when the Holy Spirit nudges our hearts, it’s inconvenient and we swat Him away with “Just a minute, God.” He won’t wait for our schedules. He won’t shout, He doesn’t do skywriting, He wants to speak into our hearts with a still small voice and have us strain to listen. The only way we learn to distinguish His voice from the thousands of others is by drawing close enough to hear a still, small voice. That can only be done in secret, intimate times when it’s only you and Him. If we neglect those times, we miss more than dinner.

Final Thought:  Take off the headphones, turn off the TV, and silence the phone. Spend time listening to that still small voice.

Prayer: Father, I’ve been angry with you for not speaking to me, but maybe you’ve tried and I’m too immersed in my own world. I commit to spending more time listening to your word, your Spirit, and your voice. Let’s start now…