To the Soul That Is Overwhelmed

“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. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:11-13

This passage literally leapt out at me as I was having quiet time the other day. I was so in awe at how perfectly the character of God is summarized in just three short verses.

While reading, I realized that sometimes the place that God calls us will also be a place that we must face our biggest storms. He refines us through fierce battles. He determines our willingness to sacrifice our own lives before He gives our assignment to us.

The Lord told Elijah to go up on the mountaintop to meet with Him, but notice that He didn’t show up right away. He let Elijah sit through some of the most chaotic forces of nature first. It is only by going through the turmoil that we can truly understand and appreciate the overwhelming peace of God’s beautiful whisper.

I can imagine that Elijah was probably watching all of this happen, expecting the Lord to speak in a clap of rolling thunder or through a tornado, but He didn’t. He let those things come and go, and then His voice filled the stillness. He let His quietness speak.

When all the chaos of the world falls away, the whisper of God can be heard.

Let me say that again.

When we stop looking around at the chaos of the world—old wounds that have yet to be healed, condemnation from past sin, worry about what the future holds, uncertainty about God’s plan, bitterness, hatred for those may have wronged us—the quiet whisper of God can be heard.

And after the Lord whispered, He spoke. And the best part is that He asked Elijah a question to which He already knew the answer. He deliberately told Elijah to meet Him on the mountaintop, and then after all the storms had passed, He asked Elijah what He was doing there.

I am convinced that God was not referring to geographical location. Instead, He wanted Elijah to ask himself, how did I get here? How did I get to this place in my life that I’m calling out to God in the face of all these storms? God always knew, but He wanted Elijah to see for himself.

Sometimes when we call out to God in the middle of our turmoil, He simply holds up a mirror. He can only lead us to a place of restoration when we first acknowledge that we are lost without Him.

Reader, I don’t know what storm you find yourself in today. I don’t know what brought you to the mountaintop. But I do know that the Lord whispers to our hearts when we have patience enough to wait for the chaos subside.

So, I ask you. What are you doing here?

Listen to that still, small voice.