“After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” (1 Kings 19:12 KJV)

What do you hear?

There’s a well-known story about an Indian young man who left his reservation home to visit a friend who lived in the big city. The streets were filled with vehicles of all sizes, and the noise of it was deafening.

As the two of them walked down the street, suddenly the young man from the reservation stopped, tapped his city friend on the shoulder and whispered, “Stand still for a moment. Do you hear what I hear?”

The city friend just smiled and said, “All I can hear are cars and horns and buses and traffic and the footsteps of many people. What do you hear?”

“There is a cricket somewhere nearby and I hear it chirping.” The city friend stopped and listened very carefully and then shook his head and said, “I think you are kidding yourself. There are no crickets here. And even if there were, how could you possibly hear them with all the noise on this street? So you still think you can hear a cricket?”

“Yes, I do,” said the Indian. “There is one chirping near us right now.” He walked ahead a few steps and then stood beside the brick wall of a house. An ivy vine was climbing up the side of the dwelling. He moved aside a few of its leaves and sure enough there was a cricket there which was chirping loudly.

Once the city boy saw the cricket, he also became aware of the sounds it was making. As he walked along, the city friend said to his Indian friend, “Naturally you were better able to hear the cricket. You Indians can hear better than we can.”

The Indian young man smiled and then shook his head and said, “I don’t agree with you. Indians can’t hear any better than white people can. Now watch and I’ll show you.”

So he reached into his pocket and took out a 50 cent piece and tossed it onto the pavement. The metallic sound of the coin hitting the sidewalk caused many a head to turn in the direction it came from. Then the Indian picked up the coin and put it back into his pocket, and the two young men kept walking along.

“Did you realize, my friend,” said the Indian, “that the ring of that 50 cent piece was no louder than the chirp of the cricket? And still many White people heard it and turned around. On the other hand, I was the only one who heard the cricket. The reason for that is not that an Indian can hear better than the white man. No. The reason is that we always hear very well the things we are accustomed to pay attention to.”

Learn to hear the voice of God

In a similar way, we must train ourselves to hear the voice of God. God sometimes talks to us in a gentle whisper. One translation says, “a still small voice.” But, in today’s loud world we live in, you could be drowning out His voice with all the noisy distraction! We rarely have silence anymore. We listen to music in our cars, plug sound into our ears, and watch screens (with sound) of all sizes and noise levels.

In order to hear God, you must set aside some time every day to read the Bible, talk to God (pray), and then listen!

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” (John 10:27)

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“Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” (John 8:47 ESV) 

The Bible says that God speaks to us

In Jeremiah 33:3 we’re told, “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” In John 10:27, Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice.”  

God speaks to you in more than one way. What? You say you haven’t noticed?

“Indeed God speaks once, Or twice, yet no one notices it.“In a dream, a vision of the night, When sound sleep falls on men, While they slumber in their beds, Then He opens the ears of men, And seals their instruction.” (Job 33:14-16 ESV)

God speaks by the Holy Spirit, by His Son, and by His Word

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26 ESV)

“As He spoke to me the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet; and I heard Him speaking to me.” (Ez. 2:2 )

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” (Heb. 1:1-2 ESV)

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Rom. 10:17 ESV)

God sometimes speaks in a still small voice

“And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” (1 Kings 19:12)

God spoke to me on an airplane

A few years ago I was on my way back from a speaking engagement. I was travel worn and exhausted. Usually, I try to get a seat next to the window, then I put on my noise cancelation headphones to escape mentally from all that is around me. On this trip, however, I was seated in a middle seat between two people. I put on my headphones as usual and started to relax into my private thoughts. But, the man sitting next to me in the aisle seat wasn’t sitting still and was squirming in his seat. I noticed too, that he was ordering one drink after another. I tried to ignore him! I hoped sincerely, that he would’t talk to me, so I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep. I just didn’t feel like talking to, or being bothered by, anyone!

Then, I heard the Lord gently prompt me, “Speak to that man.” And, I instantly thought, “No! I don’t want to!” I tried to ignore that still small voice and to think about something else. But, I heard it again! “Speak to that man!” So, very reluctantly, I removed my headphones, looked right at the man and said, “How are you doing?” He said, “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I am drinking a lot.” I said, “Well, yes, I did notice that you’ve been slamming them down. What’s up?”

He said, “I have been drinking a whole lot! My wife just left me and is filing for a divorce. I can’t think, I can’t sleep, and I’m about to lose my job because I can’t concentrate on my work anymore. My life is a mess! I need help, but I don’t know where to get it!”

I told Him my story

I said, “Actually, your story is very similar to mine. My life had been messed up, too, and I had also turned to alcohol...”

For the next few minutes, I told him my story as he listened intensely. I told him how I had also struggled with alcohol and had one personal failure after another. Then, I told him how I had prayed to receive Christ and how He had changed my life. I told Him that Jesus loved him, and had died on the cross for him, so that he could come into a personal life-changing relationship with God. Then, I asked him if he would like to receive that for himself. I then offered to pray with him. He said, “Yes, I would like that very much!” So, I prayed with him to receive Christ.”

I was happy that I had finally obeyed God’s gentle prompting!

The Bible commands us to be ready all times to share Christ, to be “instant in season and out of season”. That means all the time! Whether you feel like it or not. 

“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” (2 Tim. 4:2)

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” (1 Peter 3:15)

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