When God Speaks in a Whisper
The mower was loud. I mean, really loud. And there I was, wanting to catch up on a podcast. I turned the volume all the way up on my phone, but it didn’t matter. The hum of the engine swallowed every word. But when I finally grabbed my noise-canceling headphones, everything changed. The mower faded into the background, and suddenly, the voices that were once muffled came through clearly, like they were sitting right next to me.
That’s how it is with God sometimes.
We want Him to speak louder. We want the volume cranked up. But often, the problem isn’t that God isn’t speaking—it’s that there’s too much noise in the way.
Elijah and the Whisper
After his bold showdown with the prophets of Baal, Elijah expected the momentum to carry on. But instead, fear crept in. He ran, hid in a cave, and told God he was done. He was emotionally and spiritually drained, and he needed a word from the Lord.
God did show up. But it wasn’t in the powerful wind. It wasn’t in the earthquake. It wasn’t in the fire.
It was in a whisper.
1 Kings 19:11–12 says:
“The Lord said, 'Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.'
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.
And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”
That whisper was not just sound—it was presence.
Why a Whisper?
Because a whisper requires closeness. You don’t whisper to someone across the room. You whisper to someone near.
Elijah may have felt alone in that cave, but God wasn’t distant. He was right there. Close enough to whisper. Close enough to remind Elijah that He was still in control.
And He does the same for us.
Canceling the Noise
We live in a world that runs at full volume. Notifications buzzing. Headlines screaming. To-do lists shouting for attention. But if we want to hear the whisper, we’ve got to create quiet.
That might mean turning the phone off for a while. It might mean getting outside for a quiet walk without the earbuds. Or waking up just a little earlier to sit in silence with the Lord.
We’ve built a small prayer garden at our place. And while it’s not quite time yet, I can sense we’re getting close. The mornings are starting to warm up. Soon the plants will come alive again. And I’ll be back out there before heading into work, sitting with a cup of coffee and the Lord, letting the quiet speak. That simple little space, more than once, has been where I’ve heard the whisper.
Want to Hear God’s Whisper?
Slow down. Stillness creates space to hear.
Stop chasing the spectacular. God often shows up in the ordinary.
Stay close. You can only hear a whisper when you're near.
Maybe you're waiting for God to show up in fire from heaven or shake your world with a miracle. But what if He’s already speaking?
The question isn’t just whether He’s speaking. It’s whether we’ve made space to listen.
A Prayer for Today
Lord, in the middle of the noise and pressure and hurry, help me to be still. Help me to create quiet in my soul. I don’t need You to shout. I just need to be close enough to hear You whisper. Draw me near today. Amen.
