A few years back some of my co-workers and I went to a conference for church leaders. The conference was held at a massive resort in Nashville, TN. This place was huge. It was actually more like four large hotels joined by a large common space between them. When I say large, I mean it had a river inside that you could ride around in a boat. 

Among the cafes, restaurants, gift shops, and other attractions, there was one that stood out. It looked like a phone booth (does anyone remember those?) with a bunch of stickers on it. This odd site grabbed my attention and, during one of the breaks in the conference, demanded exploration. As my squad approached this odd booth, it became clear what it was. This was your opportunity for pop music stardom. All you had to do was step into this booth, pony up a few dollars, and within minutes, you would have your very own, professional-grade, music video. The outside of the booth was complete with encouraging words like, “Reach for the stars,” “Become the next big thing,” and best of all, “Is is your momen.” Of course, this booth was supposed to say “This is your moment,” but you can’t expect much in terms of exterior maintenance from a completely unmanned video studio whose top priority is obviously cranking out those hits. Typos aside, “Is is your momen,” became an instant slogan among that crew. One of my friends still has that quote on her office letterboard to this day. 

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Random, I know, but that’s how this awesome life works sometimes. In each of our stories, there are hidden moments, hidden gems, that we only find when we put the necessary time into exploring the things that stand out. We have to pay attention to our surroundings and find the places where God is whispering his timeless truth in new ways. This makes me think of the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19. Elijah and the Lord had just experienced a major victory over Jezebel and her prophets. As a result, Elijah was being hunted and had to flee. He finds himself in a cave on Mt. Horeb. The Lord asks Elijah why he’s there and Elijah basically says he’s scared that people want him dead. The Lord says to Elijah, Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by” (1 Kings 19:11 NIV). Elijah goes out and suddenly hears a great and powerful wind, then an earthquake, then a great fire. But, scripture says the Lord was in none of these. Finally, Elijah hears a gentle whisper. That, that gentle whisper, that was where the Lord was. That was where His voice was heard. 

In this story, Elijah experienced many big powerful moments that displayed the Lord’s power. But it was in the gentle whisper that Elijah heard His voice and experienced His love. Are you listening? Can you hear Him? God speaks to us in the whispers. He speaks to us when we draw in close. He speaks to us when we take the time to explore His word and rest in his presence. If you’re feeling far from God, maybe you have wandered away from that closeness. Lean in. Draw near. Allow Him to speak in the whispers. He is faithful to show up when we are faithful to listen.