1 Kings‬ ‭19:11-13‬ ‭NIV‬‬ | 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?””

Some people now say God only speaks via the still small voice. But, is this truly the case?

Let’s start by identifying what hearing God really is.

It’s simply the language you and I will personally understand when the Lord speaks! 

It’s a medium of communication that is overwhelmingly clear to us and which we can recognise any day and time. 

That’s why we need to persevere in seeking God so we can hear and see Him for ourselves concerning all issues in our lives.

We will look at some scriptures for clarification…

God In The Wind…

Exodus‬ ‭14:21-22‬ ‭NLT‬‬ | “Then Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the Lord opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into dry land. So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side!”

After they crossed over the Red Sea on dry land, Miriam led a chorus that God had thrown the horses and riders into the Sea. They understood God’s message of deliverance.

God In The Earthquake…

Numbers‬ ‭16:33-35‬ ‭NLT‬‬ | So they went down alive into the grave, along with all their belongings. The earth closed over them, and they all vanished from among the people of Israel. All the people around them fled when they heard their screams. “The earth will swallow us, too!” they cried. Then fire blazed forth from the Lord and burned up the 250 men who were offering incense.”

God did this to show that the men had treated Him with contempt and deter such behaviour in the future. Their fleeing meant they got the message.

God In The Fire…

1 Kings‬ ‭18:38-39‬ ‭NLT‬‬ | “Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The Lord —he is God! Yes, the Lord is God!””

The message from the fire was so obvious that the people cried out, “The Lord is God.” Believe me, they understood.

This actually means the Lord is in the wind; in the earthquake and in the fire. He just chose the still small voice at that moment in time and space to speak to Elijah. 

God still speaks in many ways!

All we need is spiritual sensitivity and openness to recognise the Lord in whatever form or medium He chooses to speak and reveal Himself to us per time.

May the Lord help us by increasing our sensitivity to His Precious Holy Spirit so we can hear and recognise Him at all times in Jesus name!