Daily Devotion for March 31st.

Hearing the Whisper
Read 1 Kings 19:1-13
After the earthquake [came] a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
-1 Kings 19:12 (KJV)
LIKE many people, I have experienced exhaustion, discouragement, and depression. At such times, God has encouraged me to keep journeying through the spiritual wilderness these feelings can create. God has graciously strengthened me by providing spiritual food and drink and placing in my path supportive friends and powerful passages of scripture. When I'm feeling most vulnerable, I'm actually more open and receptive to God.
Like Elijah, we usually expect to see God in the figurative winds, earthquakes, and fires that hit our lives. Big highs and lows can speak clearly of God's working in and around us. But more often, God speaks in a gentle whisper.
Keeping a spiritual journal over the years has helped me to discern God's voice. Reading back five years, I discover that I was struggling with my prayer life. I tried different methods of prayer, but I always felt that I was doing the talking. Like Elijah, we can be zealous for the Lord but still not hear and understand God's voice. Instead of coming with a barrage of words, we can sit at God's feet, attentively listening for that "still small voice."
Sue McCoulough (Middlesex, England)

Dear God, help us to be receptive even in challenging times.
Amen.