"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." (1 Kings 19:11-13, NIV)

Experiencing God is rarely how we think it will be.

The Bible has many stories about people experiencing God and we tend to remember the stories where dramatic things are happening; the parting of the Red Sea, Shadrach Mecheek and Abindigo, Daniel in the Lion's Den, or Jesus performing miracles.   But what about Elijah waiting for God? Isn't that more in line with the way God reveals himself to us today?

Elijah hid his face because he knew the Lord was in the gentle whisper. If we are wise, we also will listen for the gentle whispers in our lives, because that is when we are most likely to experience God. God will not break in on your cell phone conversations or whatever is playing on your iPod. If you constantly fill your head with noise, God will not compete with it.

We don't need to take a vow of silence to hear from God. We do, however, owe him a quiet, receptive mind. If you are serious about experiencing God, give him opportunities to speak to you.

Taking a walk, meditating on Scripture, or coming to him in prayer are proven ways to invite God into your heart. Just as we would not expect an intimate conversation with someone we just met, we should not expect God to speak with us until we have established a meaningful relationship with him through his son, Jesus Christ.

Experiencing God in an intimate, personal way takes patience. The more you read the Bible, pray, and surrender yourself to him, the more Jesus will move in your life. But we cannot force this to occur. God works in his own time and in his own way.

When God speaks to you, you will know it. You will know, without a doubt, that it was not your imagination or some odd coincidence. You will be stunned at the depth of God's love for you, and your life will never, ever be the same.

God, Are You Listening?

A man was walking through a forest pondering life.
He walked, pondered, walked, and pondered.
He felt very close to nature and even close to God.
He felt so close to God that he felt if he spoke God would listen.
So he asked, "God, are you listening?"

And God replied, "Yes my son, I am here."

The man stopped and pondered some more.

He looked towards the sky and said, "God, what is a million years to you?"

God replied, "Well my son, a second to me is like a million years to you."

So the man continued to walk and to ponder... walk and ponder...
Then he looked to the sky again and said, "God, what is a million dollars to you?"

And God replied, "My son, my son...a penny to me is like a million dollars to you. It means almost nothing to me. It does not even have a value it is so little."

The man looked down, pondered a bit and then looked up to the sky and said, "God, can I have a million dollars?"

And God replied, "In a second."