A SMALL STILL VOICE

One of the greatest assurances and comforts we have as children of God is that same still voice of God that speaks to our heart and soul. It is hard to explain the uttering of this small still voice seldom is it heard by our ears, but we know it as the truth when we hear it. The truth is like that. When we hear the truth we just know it; it hits us deep in the gut; weakening our knees and our hands fall to our side in compliance to this small still voice speaking to us. How blessed we are as it brings conviction and correction to us, as it probes and makes inquiries about our character and integrity. Even the sinner is not immune from the probing and searching, sinner and saints alike are naked before this small still voice. In Romans we read, “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.” (Romans 1:19-23) In verse 20 we read, “being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” Because of this small still voice within every man the sinner will have no excuse before God. Even people who have never heard about Jesus Christ will be judged by God and this small still voice will open up the truth about God to them. All that God created speaks volumes of God and His nature and it is that small still voice within us that communicates God grandeur, power, and authority to our heart. My friend no one will have an excuse when they stand before God on judgment day even the sinner (and if the sinner how much more the saint) will have to give account of their actions and words. God would not be a God of righteousness if He did not give all men a chance at salvation.

In 1 Kings we read of a great story of how Elijah was hiding in cave from the children of Israel and the LORD passed by and spoke to him, “And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks 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: 12And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” (1 Kings 19:11-12) We think and even look for (like Elijah) God in big things in our lives; like in strong winds, earthquakes, and fires God is seldom found in such great things, but God is always found in the small still voice in those small things the small things we think are insignificant in our lives God is closely scrutinizing us in it. As a matter of fact the smaller the area in our lives the more God is closely examining us and it is His small still voice that let us know how we are doing. Now for us to be able to hear this small still voice we must be still long enough to hear God speak. Strange how the times I know that I know I heard God speak to me with His small still voice I almost missed Him. God is not loud, nor is He a blabber mouth, nor does He expect us to be. God is not moved by situations and circumstances, but is calm and speaks in a small still voice. But often we are too loud and busy with our living we drown God out of our lives from all of the many distractions in our lives. Most Christians cannot even sit still in a car and mediate on the LORD or His word, oh no we have to turn on our radio, play a CD, or some MP3 (even Christian media) singing at the top of our lungs while squirming in our seat. I am sure you have seen someone in the next car thinking they were auditioning. But sadly their inability to be still and quiet before the LORD disqualifies them for service by God. I can imagine God holding His ears and saying, “please just be quiet for one minute so I can speak to your heart.” But no we sing on and our thoughts are millions of miles away from God. God speaks to us in that small still voice when He says, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Palms 46:10) Guess what? God meant it! God wants us to, “be still and know that I am God.” The only way we will even be able to come to know God is when we can become still in our mind, heart, and spirit. Coming to know God is found only in our stillness before Him. But our lives are filled with cakes, circuses, and the many distractions of life. Octavian, who later became Julius Augustus, developed the Circus Maximus (for gladiatorial combat and entertainment) for the people and fed the people cakes (or bread) so that their bellies would be filled while their insatiable appetite for sport (like us today with basketball, football, baseball, etc.) and distractions (art work, singing, dancing, music, gardening cooking, and the 1,000s of other things in our lives that we do willingly or unwillingly to drown out God. This concert of cakes and circuses (from Latin panem et circenses) was sinister it was used as a superficial means of appeasement. It was the basic Roman formula for the well-being of the population and hence a political strategy unto itself. In the case of politics, the phrase is used to describe the creation of public approval, not through exemplary or excellent public service or public policy, but through diversion, distraction, and/or the mere satisfaction of the immediate, shallow requirements of a populace. So too today our lives and many denominational churches around the world (especially in America) are filled up with cakes and circuses and the results are diversion, distraction, and/or the mere satisfaction of the immediate, shallow requirements of a populace just read the newspaper, watch TV, or attend a local church in your town and you will discover this for yourself.

When we moved to Sneads Ferry I continued to work at Brewster Middle School, but now I have a 45 minute drive to work. What beautiful scenery along the way to school; crossing a high bridge over a huge bay where in the morning you may see shrimp boats trolling the water to the back side of the Marine Corps Base, then down some lonely roads through the industrial area and main side then over to the school, but what a blessed time of communion and fellowship with the LORD. What a time of mediation on the word of God and contemplation. What a wonderful time to be quiet and still before the LORD, till I spontaneously break out in prayer. What a special time to be silent and still before the LORD. Did you know there are three kinds of silence? The first is perfect. The second is even more perfect and the third is the most perfect. In the first the silence of our words there is virtue that is acquired. In the second the silences of our desires quietness is obtained; and in the third the silence of our thoughts . . . this is goal the internal recollection of our senses. To lay hold of the silence of thought is to arrive and abide at the center of our being where Christ dwells. It is there God communicates Himself to our spirit and there in the inmost depths of our being, He teaches us Himself. He guides us to this place where He alone speaks His most secret and hidden heart to us through His small still voice. We must enter into this through all silence if we would hear the small still voice of God speaking to us.

Please let me expound on these three areas a little more. God must be able to bring us to silence so that we can hear that small still voice in us and if He is going to be able to trust us with our portion of ministry. The first area is silence of words. “The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. 26It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. 27It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. 28He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him. 29He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.” (Lamentations 3:25-29) There is not a lot of talking when we have our mouth in the dust. We seem to have a hard time shutting our mouth. We want to let people know how much we know and just how smart we are. Well, dead men do not do a lot of talking. Many words reveal we are alive to our flesh and God has not been able to kill us. We must allow God to work in our lives to the point we will have nothing to say. Our words have been silenced in us and now when we speak God’s words will come from our mouth. Our words are under restraint and stilled and now God’s words can flow freely from us. God must be able to bring our words to nothing. I had returned from a ministry trip to India and Nepal. Karen and three other ladies went with me. Well, one lady never shut up. She would get into the van and start talking. She would get out of the van and still be talking. Where ever she went she was talking and sadly she was saying nothing of real importance. Even more sadly her talkative nature and opinionated words disqualified her for true service in God. Her many words reflected the lack of mature understanding and God’s work in her life.

The next area in our lives God must bring to silence is our desires. I am amazed how Americans are so full of desires, well God showed me why. If we have the ability to fulfill our desires on our own we will desire even more, but if we cannot fulfill our desires on our own then we will not desire many things in our lives. Americans have the ability to satisfy their desires from their prosperity. We now see this thinking in the Church being taught by the prosperity teachers, get from God all you can. Allow God to give you the desires of your heart. Well my friend, the last thing I want is the desires of my heart. I do not trust my heart one bit. Unless our heart has been dealt with by God we will desire things not of God and get off track and fall out of the way. Jesus taught, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6) We are filled with whatever we hunger and thirst after. If we hunger and thirst after the world and its things we will be filled with them, but if we hunger and thirst after righteousness and the things of God we will be filled with them. God must be able to bring our desires for things to a silence. He must be able to bring a stillness in our spirit for what we want to see come to pass in our lives, in our ministry, in the world. Remember, God is God and we are not. Even Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (where oil is pressed) was brought to a place of silence to His desires. In Matthew we read, “And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Mathew 26:39). “Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt,” Jesus had a will, a desire that was not what the Father wanted, but He submitted His will, His desire for the Father’s desire. We too must submit our desire for the Father’s desire if we are to ever come to a place of knowing God and His ways. God must be able to kill our desires, even for the so called Godly desires that are not of Him. In John we read, “The thief (not the Devil) cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) Today our focus and thinking is after this abundant life of things, but Jesus was not talking about earthly things and desires He was talking about the life of God and having “it (the life of God) more abundantly.” If God is going to be able to use us He must be able to kill our desires, bring them to silence in us so that He can fill us with His desires and will.

And lastly God must be able to silence our thoughts. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” (Isaiah 26:3) It is no wonder many Christians are full of fear and dread, their minds are not “stayed on thee.” Their thoughts are never at rest, never still. Their thoughts are always looking for ways to fulfill their destiny. Rest never comes to the one whose thoughts are always laboring and anxious. A mind laboring in much thought can never build a trust in God. But a mind “stayed on thee” is trusting in Thee. If our mind and thoughts are on God we will then begin the building process of trust in us which is far beyond faith. The spiritual order is: faith, trust, and rest. Rest is the place God desires to take us all to, but before we can come to a place of rest we first must come to a place of trust. And when our thoughts come to a silence in us we are then able to trust God for everything we need and as we trust God more and more we then are able to enter into His rest. All of this happens as we allow God, through His dealings and judgments, to silence in us our thoughts. The last hurdle to inward strength and peace is in our mind and thoughts. The goal is to be able to come to an inward stillness where God is at the center of our life, an inward stillness where nothing shall be able to move us. If God cannot get us to a place of inward stillness then we will be moved by our emotions and feelings and this will never do. Brethren God must be allowed to bring us to place of stillness and silence so that we can hear His small still voice, if not then He cannot use us we are disqualified for real service. Written by David Stahl