October 30

            In today’s world, many voices are clamoring for our attention, and the loudest ones usually claim it. We are being constantly bombarded by voices from politics, news, advertising, religion, entertainment… it’s a neverending stream, and it’s easy for us to get distracted from our seemingly humdrum daily lives. Amid the cacophony, we often get so turned around that we can barely tell to whom we are supposed to listen.

            But as the story of Elijah reminds us, while he was hiding from Queen Jezebel, God sent an earthquake, a violent wind, and a firestorm, but the voice of God was not present in any of those. It was only after things quieted down that Elijah heard the still, small voice of God, reminding Elijah that no matter how wild things seemed to be, all he had to do was listen, not to the loudness, but to the stillness. Then, and only then, did he hear the voice of God.

            Whenever the voices get so overwhelming to us that we feel as though we cannot possibly take any more, we would do well to remember the exhortation in Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God,” for it is only in deliberately tuning out the cacophony of voices in our lives that we will be able to hear the sweetness, the gentleness that is our Maker’s voice. If we work at it, we will hear that voice again.