Can You Hear The Whisper?

Dec 9, 2021

The second candle of Advent is peace.

In our hectic, busy, argumentative world, peace feels like a foreign concept. The last two years have been riddled with anxiety, fear, mental health struggles, political unrest, angry social media fights, and, now, a rapid return to the busy schedules we had to pause during quarantine.

When I look around, it’s rare that I would describe almost anything as “peaceful.” And yet, this advent season, that is exactly what we celebrate: the peace of Jesus. So in a world that has so little peace, how do we possibly embrace it amidst the chaos?

The first passage that comes to mind when I think of peace is a story that takes place years before Christ is born. My mind jumps to 1 Kings 19, the story of the Lord appearing to Elijah, one of the prophets in Israel. Elijah is running for his life, after finding out Queen Jezebel wants to kill him. He hides out in the wilderness, so terrified that he begs the Lord to take his life.

In the midst of chaos, we see the peace of God. He sends an angel, who gives Elijah food, water, and a nap (sounds pretty good to me!). God offers Elijah’s physical peace and safety. And then after he travels some more, the Lord cares for Elijah’s spiritual needs.

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.

- 1 Kings 19:11-13

The Lord appears to Elijah in a gentle whisper. He then gives him instructions on what to do next, builds him up, and empowers him to keep moving forward. That is peace - that is God. I love this story because, amidst death threats and chaos and lots of noise, God chooses to appear in a whisper. Not wind, not an earthquake, not fire - a whisper. At this moment we see the character of God revealed.

Elijah was falling apart. The Lord met his needs. The Lord didn’t overwhelm him, he came gently, softly, with compassion.

God doesn’t need dramatic mountain top moments to prove who He is - even though we do see plenty of those throughout his Word!

His glory can be revealed in the smallest, gentlest moments. When Elijah’s life is devolving into chaos, God brings peace. Just like a whisper, He gently points him back in the right direction.

Maybe part of our problem in 2021 is that life is too dang loud! We have the volume turned up, the calendar filled, and a lot of chaos filling our hearts. Is there even space to hear the whisper? Is there even space to slow down and be fed and cared for by the Lord? I wonder how much more energy you would have, how much the fear would dissipate, if you turned the volume down, sat with the Lord, and listened to the whisper.

Years later we see this whisper reappear in the form of a baby. In the form of hushed cries on a silent night in Bethlehem. God didn’t show up, guns blazing, as a warrior king. He came as a whisper; He came as a baby; He came to remind us, “I’m not here to add to the chaos. I’m not here to fight fire with fire. I’m here to quiet the noise, to care for you, to point you back in the right direction.”

The world is noisy, let’s not sing Silent Night in vain. Take some time today to turn the sound down, to listen to the whisper, and watch as the peace of God points you back in the right direction.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.