The Golden Nugget: “God’s voice is still and quiet and easily buried under an avalanche of clamor.” —Charles Stanley

Daily Verse: “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.” —1 Kings 19:11–12

Daily Message: 
God speaks. He has spoken to people in ways they can understand. Sometimes, those ways are surprising—perhaps even jarring. But one way we know God speaks is in “a gentle whisper.” It’s easy to make the mistake of reading into that phrase that God does not have the power to move or act and is thus small. Or he has no magnificence or majesty and therefore has nothing but a weak, puny voice. But listen again. Listen closely.

The cacophony of this world tries to drown out God’s voice. So, at times, God needs to communicate to us in ways that let us know beyond a doubt that he is speaking. Hollywood presents God’s voice as thunder, intense wind, earthquake, or fire. But God’s voice is not part of the noise. Listen to the sound of gentle stillness, pure quiet. Listen to God’s gentle whisper. It’s a mysterious sound of kind tranquility. It’s the gentleness of the greatest presence speaking to you.

Consider This:

• Why would God make it so that we have to strain to hear his voice?
• When you have silenced distractions, do you find that it's easier to hear God's voice?

Take Action:
Find a place where you can have thirty minutes of complete silence. Open your mind’s “ears” to hear what God will speak to you.