A Voice out of the Silence

And after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake afire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.—1 Kings 19:11-12

It is significant that the psalm in which the words "Be still" occur is filled with noise and commotion. The earth shakes, the waters roar and are troubled, the mountains threaten to tumble into the midst of the sea, the nations rage, the kingdoms are moved and the sound of war is heard throughout the land. Then a voice is heard out of the silence saying, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10).

So today we must listen till our inner ears hear the words of God. When the Voice is heard, it will not be as the excited shouting of the nervous world; rather it will be the reassuring call of One of whom it was said, "He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street" (Isaiah 42:2).

It cannot be heard in the street, but it may be heard plainly enough in the heart. And that is all that matters at last.

Quiet the storms around me and still my heart, Lord, that I may hear the call of Your still small voice. Amen.

A. W. Tozer, Tozer on the Almighty God: A 366-Day Devotional, (Camp Hill, PA: Wingspread, 2007), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 45-46.