Gentle Whispers

Thursday, October 19th
By: Pastor Shane 
Gentle Whispers

Earlier this week, I was selected to teach a class on “self-care” at the United States Army’s Institute of Religious Leadership. The need for such teaching became apparent when only a handful of students out of sixty-four raised their hands when asked if they practiced a self-care plan.

Being still may sound simple. However, the rigorous, demanding, high-expectation, high-stress environment of the course disrupted everyone’s routine, especially the early morning hours of stillness, and here lies the problem.

“And he said, 'Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.' And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind, an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, the sound of a low whisper."

For many of us, we have grown comfortable with a self-care plan that includes “filling ourselves” first. For many reasons, we have also grown complacent, relying on areas where we have experienced God before, seeking Him in these “past knowns,” which inhibits us from experiencing God’s gentle whisper in other areas of our day because we were not “being still” with Him first. 

Be still, with God first, so you may be able to hear His whispers throughout the day. Your stillness with Him in the morning will help you hear the guidance you ask for during the day. Be still.