The Secret of Stillness

The great prophet Elijah came to a point in his life when he was down, dejected and depressed. Yes, even this man of faith experienced this. How about you? Have you ever been through this? If so, then perhaps you can learn from a page in Elijah’s life. What did he do? First, Elijah looked for a solution to his situation in a mighty work of God on the mountain of God. Instead, he found the remedy to his malady in the Gentle Whisper of God. The Bible says, “A great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And 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” (1 Kings 19:11-12).

He found the answer to his dilemma not in a dramatic encounter with God, but in the still, small voice of God. More often than not, we discover God in our moments of despair as we learn to, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him” (Psalm 37:7). This is what we do in a “Quiet Time” experience. Scripture teaches:

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble…Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:1, 10).

“They that wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

“Come near to God and He will come near to you” (James 4:8).

Usually, when we are going through an emotional valley, we don’t need something dramatic, we need something personal. We need to encounter God in the stillness of our hearts. This is one of the great secrets to a victorious Christian life. It is to pause, shut out the noise, and listen for the whisper—the quiet voice of God.

A word of advice concerning this: a whisper cannot easily be heard. So it demands quietness and focus—if it is to be heard. If you want a word from the Lord, you must listen.

When I was 14, I played point guard on our 9th grade basketball team. We had a good team and the stands always were filled with fans at our home games. It was so exciting! The enthusiastic fans would be hollering and cheering loudly at times—but the sound could be a problem. My coach would call out to me, as the point guard, each offensive play. I had to learn how to block out the noise and listen only for the voice of my coach. This is what we must do in the Christian experience. We must learn to shut out the clamor and the clatter of our world, and listen to the voice of our Lord giving instruction and encouragement. We must develop the art of listening, following and obeying! Learn the secret of stillness!

Devotedly yours,
Pastor Ron