I’m trying so hard to hear God speak to me. But, I just can’t seem to hear Him very clearly. Admittedly, I haven’t turned the T.V. off in more than a month, and I turn the radio on the instant I get into the car. But that can’t be why I am unable to hear God speak, can it?

In 1 Kings 19, God speaks to Elijah. Check this out:

“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the LORD told him. And as Elijah stood there, the LORD passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:11-13, NLT)

I can’t stand silence. My world is full of noise. Good grief, my cell phone comes in the packaging with thirty or more ringtones, and I can purchase even more. I have an iPod with a few thousand songs on it. There is an endless stream of television channels, websites, movies, and the list just goes on. There is so much stuff competing for my attention. Somehow, I have allowed God to become a part of that competition. There is so much noise in my life that if God doesn’t start yelling or screaming, I’m never going to hear Him.

I don’t think God should have to scream to get my attention. I really think I should be getting rid of the distractions in my life, so that I can hear Him more clearly. As a matter of fact, we can see how God spoke to Elijah. He wasn’t in the noise, He was in the silence. Sometimes, we just need to shut the heck up.

So, if the next time you see me I don’t talk to you very much, I’m not mad at you, I’m just listening.