{1 Kings 19:11-13}
For so long I would run on empty because I would seek the presence of God and so desperately desire the chills and the warm fuzzies when I would worship or read my bible but I realized that the glory and the wonder of God can be felt by resting in the stillness of who He is at heart. If you’re feeling blocked from feeling the Holy Spirit, if you feel like you aren’t feeling the presence of God, He is there. God doesn’t always speak loudly, he is capable of being so close to you that He can just show you his heart by the calm of a whisper.
For so long I desperately longed to feel the presence of God in such a heavy way. I wanted God to always wreck me. I wanted him to just show me who He was in the biggest way possible. I’ve realized that who God is, doesn’t have to be shouted from the mountain tops, every single time. Don’t get me wrong, I believe God can move in loud and extravagant ways. What I’m saying, is that God can also be very peaceful, calm, and quiet. I had to tell myself to stop living off of the Holy Spirit high and realize that his spirit is ALWAYS around and always with us.
Something that keeps playing over and over in my head lately has been reminding myself that, God is not only our Creator but also our Father. He is the miraculous Creator of the world, who spoke the world into existence but also a calm loving Father who just wants to be in relationship with us.
God is not confined to those miraculous or powerful moments, He can be found in peace and quiet. We have to stop limiting God to speaking and moving by hearing the mountains tremble and recognize that he is capable of much more than that. God is the God of calming the wind and the waves but He’s also the God that can be your peace in the midst of a storm.
1 Kings 19:11-13
11“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12And after the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
“But the Lord was not in the wind.”
“But the Lord was not in the earthquake.”
“But the Lord was not in the fire.”
“After the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper.”
The Lord wasn’t found in the wind, earthquake, or fire in this scripture, he was close enough to Elijah to speak in the form of a whisper. This may only be me, but I feel like sometimes we work so hard to hear God, we work so hard to FEEL his presence that we forget that He’s already there and He’s already speaking and just maybe the sound of our works is drowning out the still small voice of God moving on our behalf. It’s almost like we live from Sunday to Sunday, or conference to conference, just waiting for God to move and waiting for God to speak. Friend, He’s already there. How great is that? The presence of GOD, is with you, at all times. We don’t have to search or seek for the spirit of God because it already lives inside of us.
My favorite way to hear the voice of God isn’t when I worship, or when I read, or when I hear a great message at church, all of those things are necessary and amazing. But my favorite way to hear the voice of God is when I look around at God’s creation. Creation isn’t just pretty sunsets and trees, creation is you and I.
I’m always amazed by the Lord when I take a step back, look at myself and those around me and take in the fact that he made us all uniquely and in His image. You want to be amazed by God? You want to feel the presence of God move? Take a look around at God’s creation, his people and you will be absolutely amazed at all God is capable of doing.
