Listening for the Still Small Voice
And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent 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 a still small voice. I Kings 19
However inconvenient, the first wave of the pandemic and lockdown was a gift of quietness and solitude. It gave me ample time to pray, worship, listen to scripture and great books while doing yard work and other home repairs and maintenance. It gave me time to be still and hear God’s voice and put the messages he was giving me into words. So many of the distractions and obligations of life were removed, until the proverbial earthquake hit.
I was not damaged by the initial tremor of the disaster but was caught in an abundance of aftershocks, often feeling battle weary. Like Elijah, I felt like one disaster after another was coming, and I could not get my feet on solid ground. It was hard to hear God’s voice through all the pandemonium, but I was listening.
It is a new year. Tasks are completed. “Things” are settling down. As always, there are new challenges. I hear the still small voice whispering again, imbedding His Word in my heart so that it can once again flow out of me like a river of life.
My goal for this year is to bring those messages to my soul weary friends twice monthly on my blog at www.kerilynnwillis.com and other media outlets. If you want to get the blog sent directly to your email, go ahead and fill in the “follow me” box that pops up in the bottom right corner of my home page.
My prayer for you today is that you will find His strength in your weakness and allow the water of salvation quench your thirsty soul.
My name is Keri Willis. I am a semi-retired educator. I spent a great deal of my career working with adults with developmental disabilities and many years in elementary education, in the classroom and as an administrator. My main ministry now is coordinating the women’s ministry for our church in San Diego, CA. I have been married thirty-four years and have two grown and married children. I now have a head of full grey hair and good ideas.
I believe we are created to use our gifts and to be creative. That comes in many forms for me. I love to woodwork and use power tools, design, decorate, garden, and create new recipes. And I love to write. One major lesson I have learned in my writing journey is that I need to be still and listen to hear God’s voice before I am prepared to put into words the message he has instilled in my heart. This has been much easier since I am no longer working full time, but it is so easy to get distracted and not listen, which almost always ends with an empty page in the form of writer’s block.
While I have written many articles for newsletters and local newspapers, I did not consider myself a writer until I self-published my first book, Teapots and Power Tools. https://www.amazon.com/Teapot…/dp/1466458763/ref=sr_1_3…
The idea emerged as I was working on a project in my garage. I had worship music playing, power tools out and saw dust flying. I glanced up and saw my delicate teapot sitting on my router table. The message was clear. Sometimes we are using the power tools God gives us and sometimes he just wants us to be still and have tea with him. The book became the foundation for a women’s retreat, and then my amazing niece helped me work through publishing it on Create Space (now KDP).
At least five other projects are in different stages of production. I joined hope*writers to help motivate me and keep me focused and accountable. I am still trying to figure out the whole website and blog thing. That is my next goal for myself; that and finish writing at least one of my projects!
Teapots and Power Tools: Effectively using the tools God has equipped you with, while taking time to “Be Still and Know That He is God”
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