O still Small Voice of Calm

In February we sang the hymn “Dear Lord and Father of Mankind” which ends with the lines: “Speak though the earthquake, wind and fire, O still small voice of calm.” It seemed very appropriate at the time, it was very windy that day and there had been the earthquake earlier that week. We were left concerned about the fire!

The hymn speaks of the time when Elijah the prophet was feeling very sorry for himself, hiding in a cave in fear of his life. Whilst there he witnessed first a strong wind, then an earthquake and then fire, but he knew that God wasn’t speaking to him through these “in your face” events. No, it was the very gentle whisper which followed that God used to speak to him and give him some specific tasks. Sometimes we too expect God to speak to us in dramatic ways, writing on the wall or taking centre stage. However more often than not God is the quiet prompter whispering words to the confused actor on stage, that only he or she and can hear. It means we have to listen very carefully if we want to hear him and pick up again our lines. It means we have to be quiet and receptive, and it’s also worth noting that hearing the prompt does the actor no good atall if he doesn’t follow the directions he’s given.

Andy Boston
Baptist Church Leader