“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper."Yesterday I was reading a book, the title of which will remain a mystery because it would start a whole new post. From that reading, I took three verses from the bible, wrote them down, and posted them on my desk:
I Kings 19: 11-12 (NLT)
Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.Let's just say that those particular passages spoke to me enough to write them down, because I saw at least two situations in my life right now where I need to remember and apply them.
James 1:19
Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Proverbs 12:18
In your anger, do not sin.
Ephesians 4:26
But that wasn't the gentle whisper. The gentle whisper (although it's more like a sledgehammer that a gentle whisper, but you get the point) was this:
Today, during some down time, I remembered how I used to get a little daily devotional book titled Our Daily Bread that I would use to guide my quiet time, when I used to do my quiet time that is. Yes, that's another confession, and yes, I'm working on it.
So, I go to the internet and type in "Our Daily Bread" and find the website. There was today's devotional: "Talk Low, Talk Slow" which quoted James 1:19 and was right on the same point.
Ok, God....not exactly a still, small voice....not exactly a gentle whisper...but thank you. I get it. I'm listening. Now, my prayer is help me to remember it and apply it in the situations in my life that require it.
