We find the story in 1 Kings 19. As Elijah stands outside his cave and waits for the Lord to speak, he first experiences a mighty rushing wind, near hurricane force. So powerful, this must be the Lord!

But the Lord was not in the wind.

Then, a massive earthquake. Surely, this is how the Lord sets foot on the earth.

But the Lord was not in the earthquake.

Next, a wildfire consuming the countryside. Of course, the Lord is like fire and everything He touches is lit ablaze.

But the Lord was not in the fire.

Then Elijah hears something soft. He turns his head in that direction. It’s an almost imperceptible brush against his ear, a quiet passing, merely a whisper.

It is the Lord. God is found in the whisper.

I love the way the Lord is so counter-intuitive. We think that when the Lord speaks He does so by smashing his way into our lives. God finds it better to whisper. We must listen, pay attention, cock our ear away from the noise of our culture and towards quiet places. Why do so many people find that they feel closer to God when out in the nature? Because it’s quiet. Learn to cultivate times and places of quiet, for it is there that we find the Lord.