Hearing God

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. (I Kings 19:11-13 NIV)God spoke to Elijah in a small quiet voice, not in the loud crashing sounds around him at the time. We need to be actively listening to hear what God wants to say to us – He uses many forms to get His messages to us.I think many people expect God to get His message across to them with a bolt of lightning, or a booming voice that they can't ignore. Certainly there are stories in the scriptures of people who did hear God's voice that way, but for most of us, God gets his message to us in more subtle ways.Do you even consider the impact of the lines of a song that stay in your mind long after the music has stopped? I've wondered if artists consider which song to place last on their CD's, as the message they leave hanging in the stillness when the music has stopped. Do you come home from church with the lines of a hymn or song still ringing in your ears? A simple phrase that draws you back to the message of the song, or even the preached words from that service.Sometimes, God speaks to me through my pain, not always a message I want to hear, but one I still need to be alert to, and alert to what He is teaching me through it. I want to be open to whatever way God wants to communicate with me, I don't want to miss it.ABOUT THE AUTHORFiona Burrows lives in Melbourne, Australia and is learning to be grateful for the lessons God is teaching her, through more than 20 years of chronic pain.