The Whisper

"After the fire came a gentle whisper." 1 Kings 19:12 (NIV)

🌿

I was listening for thunder.

I thought You would announce Yourself the way kings do, loud, undeniable, impossible to miss.

So when You came quietly, I missed You.

I mistook Your whisper for my own thoughts.

🌱

But You were never trying to compete with the fire, or the wind, or the earthquake.

You chose the whisper on purpose.

Because love does not shout to be believed. It leans close and waits to be noticed.

You have been leaning close my whole life.

In the check I could not explain. In the peace that stayed when it should not have. In the quiet no that saved me from what I called an open door.

I called it a feeling.

It was You.

🌾

Forgive me for the years I needed noise to believe You were near.

You were never absent.

I was only listening for the wrong sound.

Still small Voice, teach my ears to recognize You before I mistake You for silence.

🌿

A Prayer of Thanksgiving

Thank You, Holy Spirit, for never raising Your voice to be heard.

Thank You for the whisper I too often missed.

Teach me today to grow quiet enough to hear You. Amen.

🌿