"Moments To Treasure"

Today has been one of those crazy, crazy, crazy, busy days where everyone and everything needed my help or attention. This is the first moment all day that I had to sit down and get quiet before Him. It is the first chance I had to get quiet and seek Him, to listen to His voice. This realization reminded me about a time in the life of someone else who needed a moment of stillness to heed His voice as well. Take a look.

   And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the lord came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
   So he said, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword, I alone am left; and they seek to take my life."
   Then He said, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord." And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind;

   and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
   So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And suddenly a voice came to him, and said, "What are you doing here Elijah?" 1 Kings 19:9-13

After the chaos of the events that led him to be in the cave in the first place, as well as the wind, the earthquake, and the fire, it says that Elijah heard a still small voice. According to the footnote in my bible  the words 'still small voice' literally means 'the sound of gentle stillness.' After all the chaos of the wind, earthquake, and fire Elijah literally heard the 'sound of the gentle stillness.'  That sound of stillness seems to have beckoned to him and the word tells us that it was at this point that He actually went out to meet with God. The Chaos of the wind, earthquake, and fire had caused him to have retreated back into the cave. ( So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave.)

All too often, we, like Elijah, allow events and circumstances and especially the day to day chaos of life to cause us to withdraw from from His presence and His direction. Our lives are full of demands on our attention because circumstances and situations come up throughout the day. And, like Elijah, we might miss God in those situations! In truth we must always remember that it is in those moments of stillness, where His voice beckons; and we take time to lay before Him our hopes, dreams, fears, and hardships that we also need to be still and listen to His direction. It is also these moments that we should treasure the most because it is in these moments of stillness were His voice comes through loud and clear!

It is in these moments of stillness that His voice speaks to the fulfillment of our hopes and dreams and brings comfort to all our hardships and fears. When His still small voice beckons it means its time to listen!

His still small voice ... is calling! He awaits His time with you!

God Bless!!!