Welcome to my blog. I could not think of a better picture to describe the gentleness of a whisper than a picture of a butterfly, with its wings barely making a sound as it dances gracefully in the air. You may be wondering where I got the title. Well, let me tell you.
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?"" 1 Kings 19:11-13
You see, we expect God to continually act in grand gestures, coming down in fire, bringing innumerable locusts to cover a city, part oceans, move mountains, etc. But in this passage, the God of the universe, Elohim, Abba Father, Jehovah Jireh, El Shaddai, Adonai, speaks not in the strong wind, the earthquake, or the fire, NO: He speaks in a whisper. And what is Elijah's reaction? He covers his face at the soft hushed tones of the Lord's voice. We expect God to act in grand gestures, but that doesn't mean when He acts in gentle whispers, He is any less God. In fact, it could be argued that it shows His power and might even more. And that is what has happened to me so many times. I pray for God to show what to do or where to go or something along those lines. I ask for Him to show me so that I may not mistake His will. In my mind, I'm thinking this means grand gestures. What do I get? More often than not, something along the lines of a gentle whisper. And I love that and it drives me nuts at the same times. But I hope to continue hearing.
I should explain one last thing before ending this. I have chosen to sign my name as Nyakio, which for most of you seems odd since my name is Katie. I was given the name Nyakio while I was in Kenya in 2007. It means clever and I was given it by a sweet Kenyan with whom I grew close on the trip. We were at a deaf school about to sit down and have some tea. The woman looked at me and asked something in Swahili. I don't speak Swahili, but without missing a beat I spoke the question in English and then answered. We were both shocked and she told me "you are no longer Katie to me, but Nyakio. " And I have loved the name ever since (p.s. I didn't tell the story to make you think I was clever, but just for background information). I cannot describe to you the immense peace, excitement, joy, and hope I have for this summer. I hope you will join me in the journey to wherever this takes me.
