When God Whispers in your heart

We used to have a lady in our church who constantly testified that God spoke to her directly and told her many things that she had to do.

While this lady sincerely believed in hearing the voice of God, we know God speaks through His Word and that His Holy Spirit directs us to follow the way he has prepared for those who put their trust in Him. I believe also that the Holy Spirit whispers to our hearts and we become aware of His presence. We then back this up by the Word of God.

I Kings 19:1-12 records the story of Elijah, who heard the voice of God whispering to him. It was a time when Elijah was experiencing great fear and anxiety. Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab, was told by her husband that Elijah had slain all the false prophets and that the God of Israel and not Baal had triumphed over the power of the false prophets. She was on the warpath and determined to make Elijah pay severely. She succeeded in putting great fear into the heart of Elijah and he ran for his life.

It seems to me we often do the same thing when we face off against great challenges. We run away to a place of safety rather than boldly stepping forward in the strength of God to find the way through the trials and tribulations that line our paths. Sickness, the death of a dear friend or family member, financial ruin, the end of a loving relationship, an addiction — all these conspire against us and we turn away rather than face our trials.

Elijah, the great Prophet of God and spiritual leader of Israel, was now having a crisis and he ran to a broom bush, sat under it and prayed that he might die. Then he fell asleep. It was then that the angel of the Lord touched him and told him to get up and eat. Once again, this scenario was repeated and he ate and drank before going back to sleep, not knowing that the Lord was preparing him for a journey of 40 days where he would reach Horeb, the mountain of God. It was there he found a cave and went in for the night.

Sometimes, we just need to get out into the desert, away from all the city lights, and find our own place of peace. I often refer to my cottage as a paradise of peace or skylight haven because God often whispers to my own heart through His Holy Spirit when I am in trouble and find that I have strayed from the beaten path that God expected me to follow.

For Elijah, after travelling 40 days and 40 nights, he found a cave and spent the night there only to hear the voice of God speaking to him and asking him what he was doing here in this cave. Elijah explained his situation to the Lord of how his people had rejected God, slain His prophets and had broken God’s covenant. It was at this point where God told Elijah, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

A powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord but the Lord was not in the wind. Then there was an earthquake, but once again the Lord was not in the earthquake. Then came a great fire — all of these Elijah witnessed but the Lord was not in the wind, the earthquake nor the fire.

Then the most powerful thing happened to Elijah. The Bible records that after the fire, there came a gentle whisper. God was in the whisper and it was this voice of God that gave him the resolve to go back and complete the plan God had for his people — those who had not bowed down to worship the false god Baal. It is a fascinating story and God provided a way of escape with a plan to defeat his enemies. All Elijah had to do was to obey the whisper to his heart that had come from God. Elijah didn’t have to run away from his fears in the first place.

How often do we veer from the path God has set before us? The temptations are very strong and we cave into our troubles. God showed His heart through a gentle whisper. This same whisper of love and gentleness came to us from the heart of Jesus, God’s Son when He was nailed on a cross to pay for the high price of our sins.

The Psalmist cried; “Today, if only you would hear his voice. Do not harden your hearts” (Psalm 95:7-8). Isaiah also records the voice of God telling us that whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

Please listen to what God is whispering to you today. It is a gentle whisper that will show you the path He wants you to follow. Do not run away like Elijah; face what lies before you with God’s help!