“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
This is one of my favorite verses in the bible…Elijah is worn out, frustrated and afraid for his life. He seeks refuge in the mountains because God told him to do this. As he waits for God, a bunch of noise happens around him. First an earthquake, then a fire…and it says that God was not in those things. I wonder how long Elijah waited on God. It doesn’t say, I would speculate that God’s arrival to him was not immediate…there was a waiting period involved here.
The Noise 
There is so much noise around us today, so much distraction. We might blast our favorite songs on the radio in the car, I sure do. We flip on the t.v. to catch our favorite hour long show – guilty again. We check our social media accounts more often than we’d care to admit. The distraction of noise, both auditory noise and visual noise, is all around us! It seems as if we cannot escape it’s grasp on our lives.
With all this distraction around us, when do we carve out the time to wait on God?
Do we sometimes forget Him amidst the distraction of the noise? It would be very easy to do in our culture today. We are seemingly immersed in the noise and there is virtually no where to run from it. But thankfully we serve a mighty God who is capable of breaking through that noise! In Elijah’s case, God showed up in a gentle whisper. Elijah recognized it and stepped out there to encounter Him. He recognized the moment for what it was…
Do We Recognize our Moments With God?
When the noise of life crashes in, like it frequently does, will we recognize the gentle whisper of God? Are we focused and in tune with Him? Do we wait expectantly for God to show up (which He will)? Whatever your distractions and noise might be, rest assured that God can break through for you, just be prepared and listening for Him!
Prayer
Dear Lord, my life is noisy and often I become distracted by it.
Many times I am consumed by it. Help me to find the gentle whispers in my life. Allow me the patience and attention to hear your voice amongst the noise. Be with me today. Remind me of this communion with You, that I desperately need your divine presence with me. Let me fellowship with you! In Your name I pray these things. Amen.
Pastor's Ponderings 
Great one! I wonder if many (of us) know what percentage of the time we spend on these distractions are at all helpful to us personally, not to mention to our ministries.
Indeed! Blessings on you!