The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”  Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind.  After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.  After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.  And after the fire came a gentle whisper.  When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.  Then a Voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?” (I Kings 19: 11-13)

Have you ever tuned your spiritual ears to the wrong voice?  I sure have. 

Roaring and deafening storms of difficult circumstances captured my attention as recently as the last few days. They screamed in my face with threats and lies of defeat and distraction. I felt whiplashed, shaken, and taken captive by their taunting and my own misleading emotion. The noisy rumblings, bitter wind, and scorching flames caused me to retreat  in discouragement for a brief but painful season of time.

But something happened yesterday that led me, like Elijah, to the mouth of the cave. 

Yesterday, after several days of weathering these storms, to top it all off some discouraging words were spoken over me. Not critical words, but words that spoke boundaries to my calling and hemmed me into a corner that I knew was not God’s full plan for my life. 

I felt frustrated, and I became grieved.  I had bought into the lies, and I was allowing the voice of this human being to define and create boundaries in my spirit that God, Himself, has not set nor spoken over my life. 

After a few hours of struggling, by the grace of God, I heard a whisper, and I came to the mouth of the cave.

The Voice I heard whispering is the only Voice which sovereignly creates and authoritatively speaks the kind of boundaries and limitations into our lives that protect, inspire, and free us.

This morning when I awakened, I was tempted to let my head hang low once again, but my King gently lifted my face to meet His gaze and said, ”I am pleased with you. I love you so much.  And I am the only One who has the power to define you or hem you in, both for your good and for My glory. I open and close doors you may not understand, but it is for your ultimate freedom.  So, please hear Me.  I long to speak to you.  I have songs for you to write and to sing.  Songs of healing.  Songs of deliverance.  Love songs to me.  Love songs FROM me.  I have words I long to speak through you to others.  But against the clatter and clutter of all the other voices you entertain, sometimes I can’t seem to get your attention.   

Awaken your spirit’s ears and listen for the Voice of Heaven - My whisper, My instruction, My truth.  The world’s voice is empty and meaningless compared to the words I speak over You, my beloved.  Their boundaries and limitations are not Mine.

I am so grateful for His whisper and so aware of the contrast between it and the storm and fire of emotion that preceded its gentleness and assurance.  The enemy would love for us to become so caught up in our circumstances or disappointments that we cower in fear and bondage and never come to the mouth of the cave to hear His words of freedom.  

So, which voice are we going to listen to today?  Lies?  Distraction? The soundtrack of our childhood?  The mocking of our failures or circumstances?  The driving urge to people-please?  No.

It’s time.  Time to come to the mouth of the cave and tune in to the sweet, limitless, boundless, loving voice of the One who is calling us higher.

We are listening for Heaven.