God, the whisperer

Then he was told, "Go, stand on the mountain at attention before God. God will pass by."
A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn't to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn't in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn't in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper. - 1 Kings 19:11-12 (The Message)

I don't know if a verse has ever been such an encouragement and a discouragement to me at the same time. I want to know- I think we all do- why isn't God in the earthquake? Why isn't he in the wind? When big things happen in my life, or in the world, I want to clearly hear God's voice.

But, the bible tells us, God sometimes speaks in whispers. This is a problem. See, satan screams at us. He yells at us. He gets all up in our grill and says we're not good enough, we're not important, we can't make an impact for the kingdom, so we might as well give up.

But, if we're quiet, if we're still, if we listen, we can hear the small voice of God saying, "you're important to me. You can make a difference. You have what it takes. YOU ARE MY CHILD."

If only it were louder sometimes...