Listen for the Whisper

"Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord." And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?'" — 1 Kings 19:11-13, ESV

A couple of nights ago, my oldest boy woke up with croup. He has had croup a lot, but most of the time we are able to take care of it at home with some home remedies that others have passed down to us. However, this croup would have nothing to do with it. After about 20 minutes of trying everything that we need to do, it was obvious that Tyler needed to go to the emergency room.

While we were trying some of the home remedies, he got really scared. This is completely understandable because of the fact the croup makes it very difficult for the little one to breathe.  So while he sat on my wife's lap, and his breathing wasn't becoming any easier, he freaked out. The problem with freaking out when you have croup is that it makes it even harder to breathe than before. So when he, or my other little boy, start to freak out, I merely lean over  and begin to whisper into his ear, "Relax, buddy. You have to relax. Just listen to my voice and start to relax." I said these words to Tyler a couple of nights ago and he began to do just that: relax. His focus was not on the fact that he had a hard time breathing but rather on the voice of the dad who loves him.

It is so natural for us to freak out when the scary things happen. We get loud, agitated, and just plain scared. However, it is during those times that God is trying to meet us in quiet places. He is not coming in the fire, or in the earthquake, or in the whirlwind. He is coming in a still and quiet whisper because the whisper is the only thing that will calm you down when you're in the storm. The fire and the earthquake and the whirlwind may all be more impressive but they usually bring more fear. However, when a father was to comfort his kids, he will speak gently and calmly in order that his children can relax and trust that their dad has it all under control.

Listen for the still small voice of God. I bet you would be amazed at the things that he is saying to you.