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. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. (1 Kings 9:11-12)

Well-known Christian author, Elisabeth Elliott, recounts the story of a young woman who lost her father during the Great Depression — four days before her seventeenth birthday. 

Without her father to support the family, the girl knew her life was going to be struggle. The silence of his absence seemed almost to crush her. Then she heard a gentle sound that gave her hope.

It was the whisk, whisk of the broom her mother had not used in three days. That simple whisper of the broom said more about faith than anything her mother could have voiced. It said, Life goes on. We have trusted the Lord. He has always provided for our needs. We will press on. We will live again. 

An act so gentle, a little whisper of the assurance of God’s care, powerfully rekindled faith, hope, and the willingness to move forward into God’s future. 

When the Lord swept our sins as far away as the east is from the west, and promised an eternity in his presence, the whisk of his broom became our assurance of abiding care for every day in every trial. 

Prayer:

Father, I sometimes long for you to speak to me in loud and dramatic ways. Help me to learn to recognize your strongest and clearest voice in Scripture so that I will hear its gentle whispers speak to all of my life.