Whisper
Something to think about: I Kings 19 :1 -13
In this story, Elijah is not comfortable. Far from it.
Darkness surrounds. Sounds overwhelm and blast off rocks, stone shatters, winds howl, all of the noises flood Elijah’s senses and he covers his face because he’s just run from a king who wants him dead, and a massacre that happened and he’s hurting and hungry (even though God has provided) and scared. The voices that cry hate and hurt are overwhelming. The threats of the king bring terror. Is God going to speak in the same way that Elijah’s pursuers do? Is God going to amplify the terror?
No. God chose another way. God turned off the noise around Elijah and whispered.
I love this story in the Old Testament. There are a lot of stories in the Bible where God comes to people in visions, in pillars of fire, where there are big miracles. But there are also times when God chooses not to engage people in the same ways that bring fear or trauma. In this case, God doesn’t speak through the noise of storms and earthquakes and ‘mighty wonders’. God comes in a whisper, because that’s what Elijah needs not only to hear the message, but to be comforted.
There are times when God’s guiding messages don’t need to be yelled out.
A holy whisper that lets you take a breath when the yelling and noise around us gets too much. God knows when we’re overloaded with sound bytes, news reports, even threats and worries, and those things are screaming for our attention. God says, listen differently. I’m here. I always have been. For you.
Have we ever stopped and considered how we listen to a whisper? What do our bodies do? What does our heart do?
We hold still. We might even hold our breath. We lean in. There is an intimacy in a whisper that means we trust the other person enough to let them get close to us.
God asks Elijah to be still. To take a breath. To lean in, because God’s already leaning into the conversation. God wants to be close to Elijah, to give him a message that’s just for him. Elijah needed that. Needed to know he was protected and what to do next. There are times for joyful noise, like there are in the Psalms. In God’s wisdom, this isn’t one of them. God in Jesus Christ loves us individually, and God knows that joyful noise is not what Elijah needs right now. What Elijah does need is know he was loved individually, in that moment, in the middle of his fear….
….and that the God who could make earthquakes and storms just wanted to talk to him. Just him.
God does the same for us. When we pray, we might be hoping for big answers and power that shows up. Sometimes, and when we need it most, God speaks in the whispers that keep us going and comfort us at the same time. The powerful contrast to the yelling that happens in the world and the quiet promise of God is blatant. Yelling keeps people distant from one another. God leans in. Even if it means that God will get so close to us that God might get hurt.
May our ears be open to holy whispers that show us what the next steps are in a world of noise. May you know God’s promised presence for you in the middle of all that is going on. I hope you have a blessed week.
Peace in Christ,
Rev. Susan
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