Faith & Reflection SaturdayWhen God Speaks in the Whisper: Elijah

Ken Kalis
Nov 8
3 min read

It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; - Elijah

I have prayed this more than once over the last 79 years.

When I couldn't breathe with asthma, and when throat cancer loomed.

After being abandoned by the woman I loved, and gave my life.

Waking up with nothing but loneliness.

But the angel of the LORD whispers in my mind, Arise and eat, and I am strengthened.

Elijah fed by Ravens — Elijah in the Wilderness by Giovanni Girolamo Savoldo, c. 1510

1 Kings 19:11–13

“And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake 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: and after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” — 1 Kings 19:11–12

The Scene: Elijah gives up

The prophet Elijah was exhausted. He had faced down the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, prayed fire down from heaven, slew the false prophets, and then fled from Jezebel’s wrath into the wilderness.He sat beneath a juniper tree and prayed, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take my life.”

God’s answer was not thunder, but tenderness. He sent an angel to feed him, and then led him to Mount Horeb — the same mountain where Moses once met God in the burning bush. There Elijah would learn a lesson that every weary servant must learn: God’s presence is not always loud, but it is always near.

Reflection: The Still Small Voice

We often look for God in the dramatic — the wind, the earthquake, the fire. But Elijah discovered that the Almighty sometimes speaks in a whisper.

The Hebrew phrase can mean “a sound of gentle stillness.” It’s the kind of voice that requires the soul to quiet down before it can be heard. When the noise of the world, the weight of failure, and the whirl of fear had all spent themselves, then Elijah heard God speak.

He covered his face with his mantle — not in terror, but in awe. The same voice that once thundered from Sinai now murmured peace to one discouraged prophet. That whisper said, “You are not alone. I still have work for you to do.”

Application

Many of us long to hear God, but our lives are filled with wind and earthquake and fire — the constant motion of modern living. Yet the Lord still speaks in the quiet moment, the open Bible, the remembered promise, the unexpected peace.

Here at RPH, as a few of us gather around the Lord’s table, we know that His voice can fill even a small room. He speaks through His Word, through the fellowship of believers, through the stillness after prayer.If we listen, we will hear Him say what He said to Elijah: “Go again. I am not done with you.”

Closing Prayer

Lord, quiet our hearts to hear You.Teach us to seek Your voice not in noise or power, but in stillness and obedience.When fear or fatigue threaten to silence our faith, speak again in that gentle whisper that restores the soul. Bless those who gather in Your name today — in quiet corners and humble homes.May we hear You anew, and rise to serve You once more. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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1. Be not dismayed whate'er betide,

God will take care of you;

beneath his wings of love abide,

God will take care of you.

(Refrain)

2. Thro' days of toil when heart doth fail,

God will take care of you;

When dangers fierce your path assail,

God will take care of you.

(Refrain)

3. No matter what may be the test,