Here I Am, Lord

The words from my heavenly Father are my most cherished possessions on this side of heaven. But I haven’t always known His voice; there was a time when I wasn’t even sure if He spoke, or at least if He wanted to talk to me.

“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. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:11-13 NLT)

Expectations of how you want to receive from the Lord can be the biggest block to hearing His voice. Like Elijah, I searched for God’s voice in specific ways that I assumed He would sound like. Maybe if I sit still enough, I can hear Him. Maybe if I block out more time in His presence, He will start speaking. Maybe if I pray longer, He will respond. I would get frustrated and think through what else I could do to make Him speak to me. I love how the Lord is patient and lets us learn instead of just giving us what we think we want. He knew better. It’s as though God said, “If I let her try it her way first, then she will eventually surrender her control, and I can have access.” And He was right.

Like Elijah, I was searching for Him one morning and telling Him how much I just wanted to have someone to talk to. I admitted that I was lonely and felt unseen, unheard and alone, even in a room full of people. My posture that morning was that of a child looking for comfort and encouragement. As I took a breath to start pouring out more of my heart, I heard His whisper: “Beloved….” It wasn’t audible; it was a thought whisper that, in my spirit, I knew was from my Father. It was clear, kind, and gentle, and even though I had never heard it before, I instantly recognized it.

These days, He is my sounding board. He is never too busy to listen and never in a hurry. He hasn’t changed, but I have. Like Jacob, Moses, Samuel, and many of you, when I hear His voice, I respond with, “Here I am, Lord,” and expect to receive whatever He wants to say. No agenda, just a conversation with the One who wrote my name in His book of Life.

Let’s pray: Father, thank You for sending Your son, Jesus, to die for us so we can speak with You directly. Your kindness, gentleness, and heart for Your children is beautiful, and we love You! We ask for the blessing of communication with You for those longing to hear Your voice today. Holy Spirit, help us to be sensitive to Your voice. We pray all of this in Your name, Jesus. Amen!

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Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.