Many of us long to hear the voice of God. God is always speaking; however, we don't always hear because we have wrong expectations. We look for God in the wrong places: in the clouds, in the burning bush, or in places where others have heard His voice.
Learn a lesson from Elijah. The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” (I Kings 19:11) Even with this information, Elijah had wrong expectations.
Elijah heard three things he thought were the voice of God before he actually heard the voice of God.
- Elijah heard a great and powerful wind that tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind.
- After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
- After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.
And after the fire came a gentle whisper. (I Kings 19:12)
It is a mistake to expect to hear God only in big churches, in church revivals, or in Christian conferences. We might miss God because we are looking for God in all the wrong places and in all the wrong people and in all the wrong circumstances.
Step back from the wind, the earthquake and the fire (all the loud and powerful things) for they are only prerequisites to what we really want to hear: God's small voice!
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