The Sound of a Gentle Whisper

2020 has been a year that I think absolutely everyone will always remember. There have been so many pivotal moments in the first 6 months of this year, most were things that nobody could have expected to happen. Those moments have brought loneliness, fear, depression, doubt, and anxiety to everyday life. If you listened to what the world had to say about all of it without having an outlet of positivity to lean in on, it’s easy to feel like you were drowning with the weight of the world on your shoulders.

For me, this year has felt like it was just one knockdown after another and right when I stood back up from being knocked down, another blow came and threw me back to the ground. If I’m being completely honest, each blow felt harder than the one before it. If I wasn’t already grounded in my faith and didn’t have a year under my belt of doing devotions every single day, I’m not sure where I would mentally be right now. The calmness of Jesus in the stillness of my mornings or right before bed set up my day for success/calmed my spirit right before I fell asleep.

I was deep into devotions the other night and was reading through the book of 1 Kings 19. A passage struck my heart hard. Jezebel had just threatened Elijah’s life for killing false prophets so Elijah fled to Mount Sinai to seek refuge. While he was on the mountain, the Lord spoke to Elijah. This is the part of the passage that I want us to lean in on and learn from:

  11 “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.” (1 Kings 19: 11-13) 

  Did you guys catch that? God wasn’t in all of the commotion of the storms!! He wasn’t worried about being the center of all of the commotion going on. There was nothing that made God want to be seen when the mountains were shaking, He wasn’t trying to show His power above the harshness of the fire, and He wasn’t trying to be heard over the roaring winds. He waited to show up with a gentle whisper. His voice was calm, it was quiet, and it was steadfast… but if Elijah hadn’t been in tune and actively listening for God’s voice, he would have missed the whisper. 

  This world has been crazy all of 2020… it has been SO hard and beyond the ability to stand many times. I’m pretty sure every single person has crawled through situations that they’ve faced so far this year, knowing that standing to walk would be too much to handle. However, they kept going. The main thing that has helped me to keep going, has been to focus on the whispers of God. 

  Every single day, I write down 10 things I am thankful for- this helps me to remember to find the little blessings in each day and helps me to actively LOOK for each and every positive moment…even if it’s as small as your favorite cup of coffee. I also write down 10 goals that I have and am actively striving for each and every day. These 10 goals stay the same until I accomplish one and then it gets marked off and another gets added in its place. This reminds me to keep looking forward to the future and have goals to keep living for. When you have things to focus on, your chances of giving up on things and letting life win, diminish. (Thank you Rachel Hollis for this idea… it has been a total game changer to my life!) These two small practices that take maybe 5 mins of my day to write down, help me to zone in on the right things and really make sure to take in every experience. They help me to see the little God whispers throughout my day. I also work every single day to read the Bible and let God speak to me through His Word. There are tons of lessons that you can get out of the Word of God and those lessons change with the shifting circumstances of your life. 

  The bigger blessings in my life that God hits me with, I have noticed, come right after a big storm or challenge. They come after I have been begging and pleading with God to let something give. However, they happen after I surrender the plan that I have for my life and let God take control. There are so many God whispers I have had so far this year that I will share with you soon but I want to remind you to listen for the whisper.

  Let this year be the year that God shows you just how strong you can be and just how generous HE can be! Listen for the whispers and make sure you slow down and disconnect from the craziness of this world. Unplug from the news and remember to be grounded in the promises that God has for you. Cling to His truth and you will realize that you are being recharged even during all of the uncertainty that this year has to bring. 

Jesus is SO good, but that’s nothing new. 

~Gracefully Kellen~