A Still Small Voice

I was talking with the Lord about how quiet he was, and then the phrase, “a still small voice” came to mind. I remembered that God had spoken to Elijah in a “still small voice” or in a “gentle whisper.” 

That was when Elijah was discouraged because of his powerful enemy who was coming against him, and because he felt all alone, and so he had retreated to a desert where God came to him and fed and strengthened him. The Lord let him know that he was not all alone, and, in fact, God had reserved 7,000 who had not bowed the knee to false gods. 

Prior to this still small voice was a great and powerful wind, then an earthquake, and then a fire. After the fire is when Elijah heard God speak in a gentle whisper.

This fit with where I read in my quiet time with the Lord the morning after he gave me this song, too. In Isaiah 16, Isaiah was writing about a judgment of God on the people for their pride, arrogance, conceit and insolence, and how they were turning to false gods and to idols and men to save them, instead of hearing the voice of Almighty God speak, and then obey him. 

Isaiah was lamenting their suffering in judgment, and he was lamenting their sin that brought on the judgment of God, as well. God had silenced the people’s shouts of joy over their harvest because the crops had been destroyed. The passage used the term “stilled” to describe this silencing of the shouts of joy. As well, Isaiah described his lament as “like a harp.”

As I read this, I saw that this “still small voice” is God speaking following disaster, i.e. he is speaking in the stillness following devastation, and I also recalled how the Lord had led me to use a harp in this song for the melody, so this song represents not only a call to people to put their faith and trust in the Lord, but it also represents a lament over the people’s sin and over the judgments that have come upon them because of their sin. 

And it is with that anguish of heart and mind over the sins of the people that this call comes to listen to God’s still small voice as he calls us to himself, to answer, and to invite him into our lives to be our Lord and our Savior.

A Still Small Voice  

An Original Work / May 23, 2011

In a still small voice He calls you.

Won’t you hear and let him in?

He’s still speaking, oh, how gently.

He died to save you from sin.

Softly He speaks to our hearts.

His mercy and love imparts.

Won’t you come to Him today?

Let Him wash your sins away.

In a still small voice He whispers,

Kindly, calling you to Him.

He loves you so much, He’s willing

You not die, but live with Him. 

He keeps prodding, gently so, 

For His grace, you come to know.

He died so that you’d go free;

Live with Him eternally.

In a still small voice He hastens

You to turn your lives to Him,

Humbly walking in obedience,

Making Him your Lord and King!

Turn from your sin, turn to God,

Put your trust in Christ, His Son.

Invite Him into your hearts.

He’ll give you a brand new start.

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