A Bible story I’ve been thinking about this week is Elijah in the wilderness.

He’s exhausted, frightened, overwhelmed, and desperately needs to hear from God. So he’s told to stand on the mountain because the Lord is about to pass by.

First comes a great and powerful wind. Then an earthquake. Then a fire.

But God isn’t in any of them.

After all the noise, all the drama, all the chaos, comes a gentle whisper.

And that’s where Elijah finds God.

I think there’s a lesson in that for all of us.

When life becomes noisy, or overwhelming our instinct is often to do more. Think harder, research longer, ask more people for advice, scroll through the internet, but keep moving so we feel like we’re making progress.

But sometimes the answer isn’t in the noise.

Sometimes the absolute best thing we can do is nothing at all.

Not give up. Not stop caring. Just stop striving for a little while.

Sit quietly.

Put the phone down.

Turn off the television.

Step away from the endless opinions and competing voices.

And simply listen.

Because if God wasn’t in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire, perhaps He isn’t always in the noise of our lives either.

Even Jesus, the Son of God, regularly withdrew from crowds, from ministry, and even from His closest friends to spend time alone in prayer. If He needed moments of stillness to hear and follow his Father’s will, then perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that we need them too.

We live in a world which tells us that every problem needs an immediate solution and every uncertainty requires instant action.

God sometimes says something different.

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

So if you’re facing a decision, carrying a worry, or wondering what comes next, perhaps today you don’t need to do anything at all.

Perhaps today your task is simply to be quiet long enough to hear the gentle whisper.

-Laura

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“And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” — 1 Kings 19:12