When God Whispers

In 72 hours, I'll finish packing my car for the drive to Crows' Neck (FCR Christian Retreat) for the Whisper Gathering. We've been planning and praying for months, and it's nearly here. I'm excited, nervous, and full of anticipation about what God will do.

When Vivien Lee called me to ask me about speaking at a Women's Prayer Conference, I knew two things pretty quickly. To pray, we need to be able to hear God speak. Hearing God speak requires that we get still. 

There are so many things we could have added to the agenda, but what we've tried to do is give opportunities for stillness, time to be quiet and hear God's voice, and time to pray together. There are several sessions with amazing worship, led by Toni Armstrong, and I'll be teaching. I hope those who attend will be interacting with me, because that's my preferred way of teaching. 

My focus passage as I've prepared has been the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 17-19.  James 5 tells us that Elijah was a man just like us, but when he prayed, huge things happened. I can believe that in general terms, but it's taken some years to believe it specifically applies to me.

The day Elijah had a showdown with the prophets of Baal, he had superhuman strength. I don't know if God used a burst of adrenaline to help him or some other empowerment, but Elijah did more than ten men should've been able to do that day. After the showdown, he dealt with the prophets of Baal, then raced Ahab's chariot to Jezreel. 

It's no wonder Elijah was tired, and his response to Jezebel's challenge is how I know Elijah was a lot like me. After an enormous victory and a demonstration of superhuman strength, the evil queen threatened him and Elijah quivered with fear. Instead of thanking God for the victory, he whined and wanted to give up.

If I were God, I might have been impatient with Elijah, but not our Father. I love this interaction:

"You need to eat, Elijah." Elijah ate. 

"Now, take a nap." Elijah took a nap. 

"Time to eat again." Elijah ate.

Rested and refreshed, he whined again. God responded by speaking to Elijah with the sound of a gentle whisper, then sent him back to work.

I believe in God's remedy for servant exhaustion. Eat good food. Sleep until you're rested. Eat again, then get quiet and listen to God speak. We're using God's formula this weekend and I can't wait to see how He uses it.

Registration closes this morning, so contact Vivien Lee or Wendy Shumaker early if you're interested in signing up. (You can tag Wendy on Facebook) 

Even if you're not going to the Whisper Gathering, you can hear that still small voice. Be still. Be quiet. Listen until you hear God speak. 

"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 niv

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