Wind & Whispers
Read Time: 6 mins, 13 seconds
“The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord. Look, the Lord is ready to pass by.” A very powerful wind went before the Lord, digging into the mountain and causing landslides, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the windstorm there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a soft whisper.”
1 Kings 19:11-12 NET
Sometimes the movements of God are loud, bold, rapid, and explosive. Imagine the Israelites crossing the Red Sea. Imagine the emotions as you stand with a nation at the edge of your surging surroundings. Hear the crowd noise erupt around you as you realize that the Egyptians you escaped from are now charging towards you. Picture the scene.
As God gives Moses instructions to tell the people to stop crying and move forward, the pillar of cloud and fire that has been leading you moves behind you and blocks the way of the charging army like an NFL lineman. As the pillar protects, Moses extends his staff, and the edges of the sea roll back like a scroll until they’re standing as erect as a wall. Do you think this process was quiet, subdued, or low-spirited?
Go with me to the New Testament. It's the day of Pentecost. Thousands of devout men from the Jewish community around the world are in town when they hear a rushing roar of wind. I can imagine it sounds like the roar of a fighter jet’s engine, and it grabs the entire crowd's attention for miles in all directions. The crowd gathers in bewilderment to find people speaking their native languages. It instantly gets the attention of everyone standing around as the gospel is preached in over a dozen dialects at one time. This situation is so insane that people assume they’re drunk. Can you imagine silence in that scene? Or do you picture hectic excitement?
That's not even where the story ends. After the rush of wind and movement of the Holy Spirit, Peter gets up and gives a spontaneous sermon that leads to 3,000 people getting baptized in one day. Think realistically about the logistics of baptizing 3,000 people whom you didn’t prepare to be baptized before in one day. I remember being at a ROAR event where 16 people got baptized unexpectedly. We had to run and borrow choir robes for them to wear because we didn’t plan for extra clothes. I remember over 160 people getting baptized in one day at BAYDA. We had pastors borrowing people's cars so they could go to neighboring hotels to get extra towels. People got in the pool in full church clothes and jeans. It was insane. It was exciting. It was exhilarating. It took all hands on deck and a lot of quick thinking. We weren’t just singing “take me to the water” and sashaying into the pool. This was a rapid and energetic move of God. It was an explosion of the Spirit as parents cried out as they saw their children be drawn to the pool, and songs of praise erupted from the crowd.
Now imagine this with 3,000 people. Imagine the sense of excitement and energy during this move of God. Do you think this move of God was quiet, somber, or soft? Or was it loud, energetic, explosive, and attention-grabbing?
I say this because when God moves, it’s often explosive. God appeared to Moses in a burning bush. That's eye-catching. When God showed up at Mount Sinai in Exodus 19, there was thunder, lightning, smoke, and enough power to make the entire mountain shake. That's jaw-dropping. There was a sound of a trumpet, and the Lord descended on the mountain in fire. That's breathtaking. It reminds me of the scene in Heaven we get in Revelation 4 of colors, sounds, lightning, and thunder in the throne room of God. I can imagine it felt like a concert with noise and lights and smoke. It’s nothing close to quiet and docile as multi-winged beings fly around and others constantly cry “holy” 24/7.
Do you think the fire Elijah called down from heaven was quiet? Do you think the earthquake that freed Paul and Silas was calm? Do you think David’s dance was organized or Job's whirlwind encounter was docile? Think of the color in Ezekiel’s vision or the radiance of the transfiguration. Imagine the earth shaking and the veil ripping when Jesus died, or the trumpets blasting and graves opening when He comes again.
God is often loud, bold, prominent, powerful, expressive, and explosive. And we shouldn't ignore this. God often moves in bold, prominent, and powerful ways. But not always. Catch what happens in this passage. Elijah experiences a very powerful wind that is so forceful that it cuts into a mountain and causes landslides. Surely God was trying to show up and tell him something you’d think. But the text says that God wasn’t in the wind.
After the windstorm, there is an earthquake. And you guessed it, God isn’t there either. But maybe three times is a charm, right? Third, we see a fire. Where did this fire come from? How did it burn when Elijah had just called down a rainstorm a chapter before? I don’t know. I’m no professional, but if an earthquake and windstorm could get my attention, I’m sure a random fire would. But again, God isn’t in the fire…
God doesn’t show up in the wind, He doesn’t show up in the earthquake, and He doesn’t show up in the fire. He shows up with a whisper, and Elijah is focused enough to answer when the whisper calls. My question is, are we?
This story is proof that while explosive, emotional and expressive experiences are often found in a move of God, they aren’t always where God is speaking. And here’s the issue: many of us are so in tune with the wind that we ignore the whisper. We are looking for a tornado when the Spirit is speaking with a tap. Maybe in turning our attention to sounds and storms, we’re ignoring the strength found in stillness, silence, and solitude?
I’m not saying to ignore the winds of life. Don't ignore the sickness, emotion, perspectives, and facts surrounding your circumstance. Feel it. See it. God still works with bold and schedule-scrapping moves of the Spirit. Don't ignore it. Acknowledge the wind, but answer the whisper.
While some of us need to find more courage in the chaos of following God, others need to find the strength to be silent. Some of us need to be more comfortable in the confusion, but others need to be more stalwart in their stillness. Why? Because God shows up in both, and He often speaks in silence.
Some of us need a cabin retreat where we silence every voice but God’s. Others need to stop ignoring the way their body, children, and mental health are screaming at them for help. Acknowledge the storm, but also listen for the silence. Admit the big things God is doing, but don’t ignore the small things He’s teaching.
I'm asking you to carve out real time to not be thrown about by the wind but to confidently wait, ready for the whisper. Be still and learn to know what God meant when He said He is God.
How do you hear the whisper? You make space for it and lean into it. Elijah heard it from inside the cave and headed outside the cave so that he could get a better understanding of it. Move closer to the source. Create time of stillness.
There's a practice of silence that my wife and I have been employing for the last few weeks. In the morning and evening each day, as we carve out time to have worship together, we have been trying to be intentional about not just reading the word and praying together but setting a timer on a phone for two minutes and simply sitting in the presence of God. We aren't praying out loud to each other or even necessarily making our request known to Him at that moment. We are actively being present so that He can make His requests known to us. Instead of monopolizing the conversation in prayer, we are giving Him time to speak. And He’s been speaking.
I want you to try the same thing. Don't focus on the storm for a moment; turn your attention to the Savior. Set two minutes of silence and stillness, and allow Him to speak. It may be uncomfortable, it may be unfamiliar, it may be hard to focus. But building the muscle of listening for the Whisperer is one of the best things you can do. Sit in God’s presence with me, not to speak, but to listen.
*Two Minutes of Silence, Stillness, and actively making yourself available for the Spirit. *
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