When Elijah heard [the gentle whisper] he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. (1 Kings 19:13)

Toward the end of his prophetic mission, Elijah was under great pressure and took refuge in a cave near Mount Horeb. There he awaited the presence of God. A mighty windstorm hit the mountain, but the Lord was not in the wind, nor was he in the earthquake or the fire that followed. Then Elijah heard a gentle whisper, a still small voice that he knew in his heart was the voice of God.

In our noisy society, silence is a foreign thing. It causes some to feel bored, uncomfortable, or anxious. Many consider time spent alone to be empty and hollow, a waste of valuable time. But to be at one with God requires time spent in prayerful stillness. Without silence, we risk losing our awareness of God’s presence when the crosswinds hit, as well as in times of hope, relief, or joy.

Silence is rest for the mind. It is to the spirit what sleep is to the body. Like Elijah’s cave, silence is a refuge where the Divine Voice comes as a gentle whisper — a still, small voice heard as a consciousness of heart.