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If
we can silence the loud voices of the world, those meant to distract us and
steer us off course, to confuse us or fill us with anxiety and worry, we’ll
find the peace that only comes from Jesus - I can’t help but stand in awe of
what a loving and kind Father He is
Angela Braniff
“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)
Sometimes I feel lost in the hustle and
bustle of the world around me. The sense of urgency in my family can have me
two minutes from meltdown by bedtime.
Being “mama” to eight children ages 6
months to 13 years can make me feel like my entire life is loud (which it is)
and hurried.
I love them dearly and want to be fully
present to meet their needs — even while juggling a conference call with my
colleague and a science project with my teenager.
I often get caught thinking I need a
perfectly curated “Quiet Time” to hear God — sitting with a hot cup of coffee,
a cozy blanket and pretty markers to creatively illustrate the verse I’m
reading that day.
And even if I can steal away to find
time, rarely is it quiet!
But the truth is, I don’t need a
curated quiet time steeped in perfection to talk with God, and neither do you,
friend.
When I need that reminder, I take
comfort in this story from 1 Kings. After Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal,
he sought rest and truth from the Lord:
“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” - (1 Kings 19:11-12,
NIV).
The Lord told Elijah to stand on the
mountain in His presence, but He didn’t come in the ways Elijah (or we) would
have expected: in a wind, earthquake or even a fire.
He came in a gentle whisper.
In the Hebrew language, the phrase for
“gentle whisper” is Kol D’mama Daka, meaning
“the sound of thin silence.”
That’s where the Lord meets us: in the
gentle whisper, in the thin silence.
Instead of waiting for the perfect
conditions to talk with the Lord or allowing myself to believe I need a
grandiose gesture to enter His presence, I remind myself of His Word.
I can stand before Him in my kitchen
while washing dishes, in my car running to grab groceries, and even on my
closet floor when I’m hiding from my kiddos to grab five minutes of peace and
sneak a candy bar.
He meets me there, surrounded by the
piles of laundry and the day’s to-do list (which becomes tomorrow’s to-do
list), feeling engulfed by the commotion of life.
If there’s stillness and quiet in my
heart, I will be able to hear God’s whisper there.
If we can silence the loud voices of
the world, those meant to distract us and steer us off course, to confuse us or
fill us with anxiety and worry, we’ll find the peace that only comes from
Jesus.
If we can take a deep breath, close our
eyes and lean into the Kol D’mama Daka, we can
hear His gentle whisper. Encouraging us, guiding us, loving us.
I can’t help but stand in awe of what a
loving and kind Father He is.
Maybe He wrote a story for you that
feels chaotic and challenging, but even in the midst of it all, He’s always
right there, ready to listen and ready to meet your anxious heart with His
abiding and tender love.
Dear God, help us
draw near to You. We know whatever story You’ve written for our lives is
beautiful — because it’s from You.
Help us quiet the
voices of the world so we may enter into the thin silence, to hear Your gentle whisper
and be filled with Your peace in our hearts today.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
TRUTH FOR TODAY
Psalm 84:3, “Even
the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young
at a place near your altar, O LORD of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my
God!” (NLT)
James 4:8, “Come
close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners;
purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.”
(NLT)
REFLECT AND RESPOND
In what ways have you allowed the noise
and normal busyness of life to keep you separated from God?
Today, let go of the need for
perfection, and just rest in His presence. We’d love to hear the ways you’ve
found the “sound of thin silence” in your own life!
RELATED RESOURCES
Hard isn’t always bad. Angela Braniff
embraces that motto to help her see the beauty in the unexpected and
challenging parts of life.
Angela’s new book, Love Without
Borders, chronicles her journey to discover God’s
purpose for her life and how He used adoption, infertility, failure and
heartbreak to write the story of her imperfectly beautiful family.
CONNECT
Come hang out with Angela and her
family via their popular YouTube channel, This Gathered Nest, or connect on social media @thisgatherednest.
Angela
Braniff
and her husband oversee a house full of laughter and love thanks to their eight
children — all from varying backgrounds. As a wife and mom, Angela’s love for
life and her family radiates through everything she does. She is an adoption
advocate, homeschool mom, content creator, podcast host and adventure-seeker.
Angela and her husband live in Charlotte, North Carolina, where they’re raising
their beautifully diverse family.
https://www.proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2020/05/04/the-still-small-voice
https://www.proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2020/05/04/the-still-small-voice
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