1 Kings 19 tells us about the prophet Elijah. After being used mightily in the service of the Lord, Elijah was exhausted, depressed, and hiding in the desert for his life. He finally took shelter in a cave and tried to convince God to just let him die. But God had other plans; God had another important task for Elijah and he wanted a word with him. (You can read all about it in verses 1-13.)

"The Lord said, 'Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.'

"Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

"When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave."

The wind, the earthquake and the lightening showed Elijah his own weakness, but God was not speaking through these dramatic displays of power. Instead, He chose to speak to Elijah in a "gentle whisper." Elijah immediately recognized the quiet voice of God and responded.

In the first of our 4-part series this month, Bill Hybels gave us a challenging goal: to never miss another whisper in our life. How do we do that? He gave us five "filters" or "tests" to help us discern whether the "whisper" we are hearing is really from God:

1.  Is it consistent with who God is?
2.  Is it scriptural?
3.  Is it wise?
4.  Is it in tune with my own character or wiring?
5.  What do people I most trust think about it?

Are you up for the challenge? Are you ready to say, "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening?"

May we all have ears to hear.

Greg