The Sound of A Gentle Whisper

 

1Kings 19:9–13(NLT)

9 There he came to a cave, where he spent the night. But the LORD said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” 11 “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the LORD told him. And as Elijah stood there, the LORD passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.”

This record in 1Kings 19 moves me every time I read it. I’m reminded of those occasions where we become so overwhelmed by the emotions of life’s pressures and stresses, that we forget the goodness, strength, and power of our God. So often we allow our emotions to get away from us, and whenever we do this, we run the risk of letting the devil rob us of God’s peace. We forget that Heavenly Father’s resources are infinite, and His wisdom is perfection. He never, ever misses a beat. Elijah was at his wit’s end because many of the people of Israel were behaving in a way that dishonored God. He was upset about this because Elijah understood the connection between actions and consequences. He knew their actions had been horrible and warranted horrible consequences. He was frustrated and upset that they wouldn’t listen and do the right thing according to God’s Word. He was right to be concerned about their sinful behavior and how this dishonored God, but Elijah was wrong to think that anything any of us can do will alter God’s purposes and plans.

Elijah assumed there would be a thunderous objection from God. He expected that the actions of the people deserved an angry, roaring response, but that’s not how our Heavenly Father handled the situation. We think we can predict what God will do and how He will move, but this is a lesson to us that we can’t put God in our predictable little boxes. God’s voice is often found in a gentle whisper, and the only way we can hear a gentle whisper is to be still and quiet ourselves. A whisper requires us to be attentive, to lean-in with stillness and intention. This is lost on many people. We allow our lives to become inundated with things, schedules, people, and activities. The noise of life overwhelms many of us, and often this is why we can’t hear from heaven. We need to fix this.

This past week, my daughter asked me to help her with a school project. It was very detailed. Her teacher sent home a two-page list of instructions and they had to be followed precisely in order to get a passing grade. My daughter only had one week to complete the project. I knew I would have to be strategic with my time in order to help her as much as possible. It was a little frustrating because I’m used to being more structured with my time and deviating from my normal routine was a little irritating.

I noticed my feelings getting in the way as often so many of us do with the busyness of our lives, but I soon recognized that there were several things I could alleviate in order to help my daughter more with her school project. I could decrease the amount of time spent on social media, as well as time spent watching television news and shows, and I could limit my phone conversations. Those small changes would make a significant difference.

I began thinking about the amount of time I take away from God and give to other things. Things that wouldn’t come close in value to the kind of results that would be gained by spending more intimate time with God. Many Christians, like anyone else, have jobs, families and extracurricular activities they find time for. But when it comes time to sit down and get quiet with God, some of us struggle to fit that in. We need to reshuffle our priorities so that spending time with God is number one on the list.

The prophet Elijah didn’t find God in the scariness of the wind, the uncertainty of the earthquake, nor the fierceness of the fire; he found the voice of God in a gentle whisper. We need to be mindful of this continually. God is God all by Himself. He doesn’t need to be thunderous, boisterous, and loud. If He were this way, most of us couldn’t take it. He’s an extremely gentle and loving, Father. He deserves our attention and making the time to give Him what He deserves will ensure that we hear His voice, even when it’s a gentle whisper.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“The Sound of A Gentle Whisper”, written for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2025. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Remain in God’s Perfect Peace

 

When Jesus Speaks Peace Into Troubled Hearts

Jesus knew that the time of His death was drawing near, and His disciples were troubled and confused about what was going to happen. He wanted to prepare them for what was coming so they wouldn’t be overwhelmed with fear or worry. In this moment, He told His followers in John 14:1 (NLT), “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.”

The beauty of His words is overwhelming, especially when we remember that the depth of His unspeakable suffering was so close at hand. Just before this, He had revealed that one of His disciples would betray Him. This was shocking news to the others—they were confused and deeply troubled by the thought that someone so close to them could act in such a way.

Being so close to Him—walking, talking, and learning from Him—it must have been hard to swallow that one of their own had betrayal in his heart. Yet the Scriptures confirm it was true. Still, when they heard it from Jesus’ lips, and when He told them that He would soon be leaving them, it was almost too much to process. Their hearts were troubled, and they looked anxious.

Jesus noticed, because He fully knows our pain, both inward and outward. Their souls were troubled, and He told them not to let this happen. How tremendously comforting His words are! But we must not forget: the words of our Master are not suggestions. They are meant to stabilize us in times of stress so we will not be overtaken by the enemy’s distractions or his attempts to steal our joy.

The Two Realms Your Soul Lives In

Heavenly Father created life in a way that always demands a response, and whether we admit it or not, every response we make flows out of one of two realms: faith or fear. Faith pulls your soul into God’s atmosphere — the territory of love, light, liberty, and life. Fear drags the soul toward the enemy’s atmosphere — doubt, darkness, bondage, and death. Isaiah 26:3 (NLT) sheds light on this: “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” God keeps us in perfect peace when trust leads the soul, but fear breaks that flow.

Some people think this is just a mindset, but Scripture tells us otherwise. The spiritual realm is more real than what we see. Second Corinthians 4:18 (NLT) reminds us, “For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” The unseen world is the foundation of everything visible, everything eternal, everything God-designed, and everything you are becoming in Christ. That’s why your internal position matters — because your soul’s response chooses the territory you walk in.

Living Where Peace Actually Lives

God has already told us where peace can be found — in Him, not in circumstances. Psalm 91:1 (NLT) says, “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Rest is not random. Peace is not accidental. You don’t stumble into it — you stay where it lives.

But the soul doesn’t stay in peace by default. It has to be trained. Romans 8:6 (NLT) tells us, “Letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.” This is why the mind must be renewed and the heart must be transformed. Peace isn’t weak; peace is warfare. It’s warfare because peace is what the enemy is always after. Every time you choose peace, you defeat a lie. Every time you stay in peace, you shut the enemy out. Peace isn’t passive — it’s the sign that your soul is submitted. Peace is the evidence that the Holy Spirit is leading your spirit, and your spirit is leading your soul. That’s the divine order God designed.

And truthfully, this is where many believers struggle. We love God, but we haven’t learned to remain in His atmosphere. We drift into fear, worry, and self-protection because the soul was programmed by life, not by truth. But the moment we return to His shelter, His peace meets us like a covering we didn’t even realize we lost.

Training the Soul to Refuse Worry

God doesn’t just suggest peace — He teaches us how to live in it. Philippians 4:6–7 (NLT) tells us, “6 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Notice the flow:
No worry → prayer → peace → protection.

But let’s be honest. Some of us quietly think, How am I not supposed to worry when so much is happening in this world? But if you trace the origin of that mindset, you’ll notice it wasn’t born out of truth — it was born out of fear. Fear rehearses danger. Faith rehearses God. Psalm 112:7 (NLT) says, “They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.”

Our Heavenly Father is not distant. He is not hesitant. He is not stingy with His help. Jeremiah 32:17 (NLT) tells us, “O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!” Fear whispers that God won’t come through. Faith reminds the soul that He always does.

Peace Is the Proof of Who’s Leading

Perfect peace is not a personality type. It’s not emotional denial. It’s the evidence of alignment — the soul resting under the leadership of your spirit, as it follows the Holy Spirit and rests in God. Isaiah 12:2 (NLT) tells us, “See, God has come to save me. I will trust in him and not be afraid. The Lord God is my strength and my song; he has given me victory.”

When the soul aligns with truth, peace rises. When the soul slips into fear, peace leaks. But either way, the presence or absence of peace is never random — it is the signal of where we are standing spiritually. And God is always inviting us back into His shelter, His provision, His rest.

His perfect peace is not fragile. It is not temporary.
It is your inheritance.
It is your atmosphere.
It is the evidence that your soul has come home.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

 

“Remain in God’s Perfect Peace”, written for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2025. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

When God Shows Up in the Middle of It All

 

We’re Facing Challenges We’ve Never Seen Before

Some of us are facing challenges we’ve never seen before. These days feel heavier, louder, and more complicated than anything we imagined we'd be navigating. And in moments like these, we want God to move in a way we’ve never witnessed. If you’re anything like me, you grew up hearing your mother or grandmother say, “Baby, God showed up and showed out for me.” Back then, we didn’t grasp the weight of those words. But now—after everything the enemy has tried to throw at us—we understand. We wouldn’t have made it this far without God’s hand holding us steady. He has kept us, walked us through storms, and brought us out with our minds intact. So this is not the time to shrink back. This is the moment to stand in who we know God to be and trust Him with our whole hearts.

Jesus Told Us the Walk Wouldn’t Be Easy

Jesus never sugar-coated what this walk would require. In John 15:19 (NLT), He tells the disciples, “I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.” Living for Christ is the most beautiful life there is, but it comes with a cost. Trials are part of the journey, but so is triumph. Every challenge becomes a doorway for God’s power to be revealed, and every storm we survive deepens our maturity as sons and daughters of God.

Storms Teach Us What Calm Seasons Never Could

There are revelations of God’s character that only come from walking through the fire. Paul prayed in Colossians 1:11 (NLT), “We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need.” Endurance and patience are not glamorous, but they are required. They stretch us. They grow us. They root us in trust. And they prepare us to become the person God created us to be. We are destined to reflect Christ from the inside out.

He Goes Before You and Stays With You

And whether you’re healing from a divorce, recovering from disappointment, or working through life’s unexpected detours, hear this clearly: God is with you in every step and every season. He said in Deuteronomy 31:6 (NLT), “The LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Then He repeats it again in Joshua 1:9 (NLT): “Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” In the Old Testament, they were servants. But now, through Jesus Christ, we are God’s children—His very own. And there is never a moment when He turns His face away from His kids.

God teaches us the lessons of love with such tenderness. He never pushes us faster than our soul can grow. Many of us pray for blessings we’re not yet mature enough to steward, but He knows the places inside us that still need healing and wholeness. He’s strengthening our emotions, stretching our capacity, and preparing our hearts for the weight of what we’re asking Him for. And we can’t rush His process—because when we get ahead of the Holy Spirit, we step into disappointment instead of destiny. His timing isn’t punishment; it’s protection. And even when we misstep, He faithfully shows up to heal, restore, and realign us with His Will.

God Has Not Changed—He Still Shows Up and Shows Out

We are living in turbulent times, but God hasn’t changed—not His character, not His promises, not His love. He will show up for His people. He will show out on behalf of His sons and daughters. So let’s lean all the way in. Let’s trust Him deeply. Let’s hold our confidence in the One who still restores, still delivers, still promotes, and still brings His children through every storm with victory. ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“When God Shows Up in the Middle of It All”, written for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2025. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

She Kept Kissing the Savior’s Feet

 

Understanding the Woman Who Broke Barriers to Worship

Luke 7:36-38(NLT)

“36 One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. 37 When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. 38 Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.”

Understanding the Woman Labeled “Immoral”

At first glance, it’s easy to judge her. She’s labeled “immoral” in the text, and the Pharisees had no trouble condemning her. But to understand her actions, we need to step into the culture of her time.

In Jesus’ day, it didn’t take much for a woman to be labeled a sinner. Simply working and earning her own money could mark her as a prostitute. A young woman’s life was largely determined by marriage—her father’s ability to arrange it and the community’s judgment of her reputation. If no man claimed her, she could be seen as a burden to her father, and her opportunities were limited by what society thought of her.

Reputation was everything. One misstep, one deception, one rumor—and doors closed. A woman’s life could be shaped—or even shattered—by circumstances beyond her control. And even when she did nothing wrong, the label could stick. Life for women in this position was often hard, lonely, and filled with invisible barriers they had done nothing to create.

A Heart Open to Grace

The woman in Luke 7:36–38 had run into circumstances that caused her to be labeled immoral. She was a known outcast, dismissed by many, and considered by men to have little or no worth. Women in biblical times were already at the bottom of the social ladder. They were often seen as the property of men. A “good wife” was measured more by her usefulness than by her heart, her character, or her worth as a person. It doesn’t take much imagination to picture all she had endured. And yet, even at her lowest, she saw an opportunity to step into a dimension of grace and worship that far exceeded the life she had known for so many years.

Jesus Moves Toward the Broken

Jesus has always had a way of drawing the ones the world throws away. Our Lord and Savior wasn’t intimidated by sinners, the broken, or the publicly shamed. He moved toward them. For the ones people whispered about… for the ones society tried to bury under labels and low expectations… He became a safe place. He taught them the Word of God, and when that Word hit their souls, something awakened. They fell in love because they met compassion wrapped in truth.

She Recognized Who He Was

Our beloved Savior was a guest in the home of a Pharisee when this woman came to tend to him with her alabaster box. The Pharisees were notoriously arrogant, and had no good intentions where Jesus was concerned. When he entered this man’s home, Jesus wasn’t treated as the King he is. There was no water for His feet. No oil. No greeting of peace. But this woman with the alabaster box knew who he was. She recognized the Light. She had been changed by His teaching, healed in a way no human could reach. What she received from Him was worth more than life itself, and her worship poured out of her the way the fragrance poured out of that jar.

Humility in Action

This woman came to acknowledge what Christ had done for her, but notice something powerful—she didn’t rush into the room demanding His attention. She didn’t ask for a title, a seat, or a moment. She came behind Him. She didn’t even lift her eyes to His face. That is humility in its purest form… not insecurity, but a soul fully aware of the greatness of the One who healed her. Her tears weren’t polite tears—they were the overflow of a heart that had been shattered and remade. And when those tears fell on His feet, she didn’t search for a towel. She offered the most intimate, personal thing she had—her hair. She kissed His feet, the place of His walk, the place of His journey, and she poured out the expensive fragrance she carried. She brought Him her very best because she knew He had given her what no one else ever could: life, dignity, and the healing only the Messiah can give.

The Healing That Changes How We Love

Some of us walk through life with a deep, aching need to be loved by a man, and we don’t always understand why that desire feels so fierce. Sometimes it’s loneliness… sometimes it’s unhealed places in the soul… sometimes it’s the absence of healthy love in our past. But Jesus Christ said something in this record that should make every woman pause and look inward. Speaking to the arrogant Pharisee, He said in Luke 7:46-48(NLT), “You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint my head, but she has anointed my feet with rare perfume. 47 “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” 48 Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”

What Jesus revealed in that moment is this: When He forgives and restores a woman, He doesn’t just deal with her sins—He deals with her emptiness. He changes the way she loves and fills the parts that felt unloved or unseen. Then, she begins to love from a healthier place. It’s a process, but it’s a real one. This happens not because she’s needy, but because she knows the One who healed her. The Pharisee couldn’t love Jesus because he didn’t think he needed Him. But this woman? Her whole soul recognized the One who restored her dignity. Her longing for love had finally found its fulfillment, not in a man’s arms, but in the Messiah’s mercy. And until we let Jesus fill that inner ache, we will keep trying to hand our hearts to men who were never designed to heal what only Christ can touch.

Love That Flows From Healing

Examine this extraordinary statement Jesus made about this woman. He said, “she has shown me much love.” That one sentence uncovers the secret behind everything she received. Her honor, her humility, her boldness, her worship — it all flowed from a heart that had been touched and healed by Christ. And because of that, the record of her devotion is etched into God’s Word for all eternity. Imagine that. Her legacy isn’t in what she owned, who she knew, or how people labeled her… her legacy is that she loved Jesus deeply.

Where Every Transformation Begins

This is the testimony every woman of God is called to carry. To love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength — not because we’ve done everything right, but because He has met us in the places we were wrong, broken, or empty. Deep down, the yearning we feel — the longing we sometimes mistake for needing a man, needing validation, or needing acceptance — is really a yearning to love Christ the way this woman did. To pour everything at His feet. To come to Him with humility, honesty, and a soul finally ready to rest.

And when we love Him like this — not perfectly, but genuinely… not loudly, but deeply… not for what He can give us, but because of who He is — something shifts. Our hearts unlock. Our souls settle. And we begin to walk into the blessings, direction, and healing we once tried to chase on our own. The woman with the alabaster box didn’t earn anything; she simply loved the One who first loved her. And that love—pure, humble, and real—is where every transformation, every blessing, and every new beginning starts. ■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“She Kept Kissing the Savior’s Feet”, written for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com© 2025. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.