What Does It Sound Like?

 

This is the question you probably have been waiting for . . . “What does it sound like? What does the voice of God sound like?”

Recently I was talking to someone who had heard the voice of God for the first time. “Way down deep inside, I heard the words. They were barely intelligible.”

“It was a quiet voice . . . way down deep inside.”

I remember the first few times I heard His voice. It was a quiet, small voice . . . way down deep inside.

Well, we are not alone in this experience. I think the best example in the Bible of hearing His voice is the account of Elijah in the cave. Elijah had just experienced the biggest victory of his life. It was the showdown with the prophets of Baal. Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to prove to the people of Israel who was the true God, Baal, or the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The prophets of Baal prepared an altar and placed a bull on it. Then they cried to Baal from morning to noon to send fire to burn up the offering. Baal did not answer. Nothing happened.

Then Elijah prepared an altar with a bull for the sacrifice. He doused the offering, the wood and the stones with water three times. Then, he called out to God and God sent fire from heaven to burn up the bull, the wood, the stones and even the water in the trench around the altar.

The people of Israel bowed to the ground at the overwhelming show of fire power they had just witnessed. Elijah commanded them to seize the 450 prophets of Baal. Then they took them down to the brook of Kishon and killed them all. Can you imagine what a bloody mess that was?

But that wasn’t the end of it. Elijah told King Ahab to get in this chariot and go home because there would be a heavy rain. It hadn’t rained in Israel for three and half years. And it poured, just like Elijah said.

When King Ahab went home and told the wicked queen, Jezebel, what Elijah had done, she said she would kill Elijah. Elijah freaked out and ran for forty days and forty nights to Mount Horeb, and there he hid in a cave.

This is where the story gets really interesting. The Lord called to Elijah and asked him what he was doing in the cave. Elijah gave God a sob story, that he had done what God wanted him to do, and now Queen Jezebel was looking for him and wanted to kill him.

God told Elijah to go to the mouth of the cave, and there he gave him a mighty demonstration of His power. The Bible account says that the Lord passed by the mouth of the cave. When He did, a mighty wind came up, so strong that it broke the rocks in pieces. Next, there was an earthquake, and after that a fire. The Lord was not in any of these powerful demonstrations, but afterward there was a voice like a whisper. The King James Bible says it was a still, small voice.

Why all the hoopla? Why the wind, earthquake, and fire?

I am convinced that God was showing Elijah what He was like. He was not in the wind, earthquake, or fire. But after these powerful demonstrations, God was in the still, small voice . . . the whisper.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:29, “I am gentle and humble in heart.”

Because He is gentle and humble in heart, He speaks in a still, small voice to the one who is listening intently.

There is no doubt that Elijah was listening because God had gotten his attention with the mighty wind, earthquake and the fire. If you are wise, you will practice an attitude of listening. That way God won’t have to send a mighty display of power to get your attention.

I am convinced we miss the voice of God sometimes because we are in the hoopla of the world, lots of noise and activity. I am also convinced that God would love to talk to you, if you would just turn your back on the noise of the world and find a quiet place . . . to listen.

What does God’s voice sound like? To Elijah it was a still, small voice . . . a whisper. As I said earlier, someone who heard HIs voice for the first time said that it came from deep inside, and she could barely make it out.

I don’t know why this is the case. Perhaps God is just seeing how badly you want to hear Him, and if you will stretch your spirit and yearn for His, then He knows you really want Him. He is a jealous God, you know. He wants to take first place in your life.

This much I can assure you. The more you learn to hear His voice, the clearer it will become. Take courage pilgrim. The increase comes in the exercise.

Log in next week for the next installment of Learning to Hear the Voice of God, posted right here!

Photo designed and taken by Lorraine