The Still Small Voice
Elijah discovers that God’s communication is not limited to dramatic events. The Centering Prayer Society sees this passage as an invitation to notice the quiet, inward way God may draw the heart.
Genesis 1:2 · King James Version
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Exodus 3:14 · King James Version
And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.
John 1:1-2,14 · King James Version
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 13:19 · New International Version JESUS SPEAKS AT THE LAST SUPPER
“I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am.
1 Kings 19:11–12 · King James Version
And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire, a still small voice.
Be Still and Listen:
God Has Always Been Speaking To Us
The Roots of Centering Prayer:
These are some of my favorite passages in the entire Bible because they unlock a beautiful way of reading Scripture.
They're like finding the master key to a great library.
Suddenly, doors begin opening that you never even noticed before.
After I began studying these passages compiled together, I found myself reading the Bible with fresh eyes.
Instead of seeing isolated stories, I began seeing one continuous invitation from God that is woven throughout the entire Bible:
“Come — Be still — Listen — Obey — and Serve.”
Let's start at the very beginning.
Genesis tells us that before mountains,
oceans,
trees,
puppies,
mosquitoes,
and even your mother-in-law existed,
the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.
Yes, mosquitoes apparently came later.
I've always had a few questions about that decision.
Before anything else was created, God was already present and active.
God wasn't distant or asleep.
He was living,
moving,
creating,
and preparing.
Then God introduced Himself to Moses with the remarkable words:
“I am that I am.”
This reveals the eternal nature of God.
He is not merely the God who always was,
or the God who always will be.
He is the God who is with us now —
the ever-living,
ever-present God
who is active right now.
He isn't trapped in the pages of history.
He isn't waiting for tomorrow to become involved in our lives.
He is present,
as a spirit,
with us today.
When we come to John's Gospel, another beautiful piece of the puzzle falls into place.
John tells us:“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Then, a few verses later, John tells us that:
“the Word became flesh.”
Christians understand the Word to be Jesus Christ.
The same divine Word who was present in the beginning,
entered human history,
walked among us,
and revealed the Father's heart.
At the Last Supper, Jesus declared:
“I am who I am.”
These passages combined reveal that Jesus is an eternal Spirit, who was with God in the beginning.
Jesus is the Son of God,
who was always present,
who is present today,
and who will always be present as a Spirit of God.
Then we arrive at one of my favorite moments in the Old Testament.
Elijah expects God to appear in spectacular fashion.
Surely God will arrive with a hurricane!
Or perhaps an earthquake!
Maybe fire shooting from heaven!
If God really wanted to get Elijah's attention, this seemed like an excellent opportunity for the full heavenly special-effects department.
Instead,
God surprises him.
The wind comes...
but God is not in the wind.
The earthquake shakes the mountain...
but God is not in the earthquake.
Fire rages...
but God is not in the fire.
Then comes something almost easy to miss, —
a still, small voice, that's only a whisper.
Isn't that just like us?
We often expect God to communicate with surround sound,
flashing lights,
fireworks,
and maybe a billboard along the interstate that says:
“ATTENTION! TURN LEFT AT THE NEXT STOPLIGHT!”
Preferably, with our name flashing above it, so there can be absolutely no misunderstanding.
Instead, He often speaks so gently that we must become quiet simply to notice Him.
This is why stillness matters.
If God often speaks with a gentle voice,
then constantly filling our minds with noise makes hearing Him much more difficult.
Most of us spend our days with our minds overwhelmed with worries,
solving problems,
paying bills,
and working.
I affectionately envision my own mind as my attic.
And my attic is filled with 1,000 squirrels.
They're having an open-air festival, while opening new, and undesirable, entrances into my attic.
They're chewing on the wires.
They're dancing on the rafters.
They're making confetti out of my most important stored papers.
And apparently none of them has any intention of leaving.
Therefore, to hear God,
I must put the squirrels to sleep.
This doesn't mean climbing up into the attic and singing lullabies to them.
I do this by getting myself nearly to sleep, but not totally asleep.
This is called slumber.
Slumber is when you have realeased all of your worries.
It's right before falling totally asleep,
or right after waking up.
In slumber,
the squirrels finally settle down.
The attic becomes quiet.
And I am finally able to hear God's still, soft voice.
Centering Prayer is simply taking a few moments each day to let the squirrels go to sleep.
We become still before God,
not because silence has magical power,
but because we want to give our full attention to the One who loves us.
We quiet our own plans,
our worries,
and our endless internal conversations,
so we can sincerely ask God:
“What would You have me do today?”
And then comes the part that can be surprisingly difficult.
We stop talking.
We listen with open hearts,
ready to obey whatever He teaches us through His Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is not an abstract idea,
or a distant reminder that God exists.
God put the Spirit of His Son into our hearts. (Galatians 4:6)
Scripture describes the Spirit as God's active presence —
teaching,
guiding,
comforting,
convicting,
empowering,
and producing His fruit within believers.
Through the Holy Spirit,
God's work becomes personal.
His peace becomes our peace.
His wisdom becomes available to us.
His love begins transforming the way we live.
And little by little,
we begin discovering that listening to God isn't just something that happened to Moses,
Samuel,
Elijah,
or the apostles thousands of years ago.
God is still present.
God is still active.
And God still wants His children to walk with Him and serve Him.
Jesus is our friend. (John 15:15)
He is the way, the truth, and the giver of eternal life. (John 14:6)
To me, this is the beautiful invitation that runs from Genesis to Revelation.
God has always desired to be with His people.
He has always been calling men and women to hear His voice,
trust His leading,
and live under His loving authority.
Centering Prayer is the response to that invitation.
It is simply making time each day to become still before the Lord,
to listen with humility,
and to say from the heart:
“Lord Jesus... how may I serve You today?”
And then...
for once...
we give the squirrels the morning off,
stop doing all the talking,
and listen.
Questions for prayer:
What do these passages reveal about God?
What response does it ask of me?
Is the impression I receive consistent with the character and teaching of Jesus?
What loving and faithful action should follow?