February 21, 2025 • 14 mins
Finding God in the Quiet: A Journey of Faith and Surrender
In this episode of the Blasphemer's Redemption podcast, Will narrates his essay 'Still, Small Voice: Finding God in the Quiet and Ordinary.' Will delves into his personal faith journey, emphasizing the importance of finding God not only in extraordinary events but also in the mundane moments of life. He reflects on the story of Elijah as an example of God’s presence in quietness and shares his testimony, including the challenges faced during his divorce. The episode encourages listeners to trust in God's faithfulness, even in times of uncertainty, and to recognize the significance of small acts of obedience. Listeners are invited to explore more writings at redeemedblasphemy.substack.com.
00:00 Podcast Intro
01:25 Seasons of Life
04:00 Faithfulness in the Wilderness (Elijah’s Journey)
09:46 Spiritual Consistency (Seeking God in both seasons of trial and abundance)
11:31 The Parable of the Mustard Seed
13:14 Wrapping Up
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hey there, welcome to my podcast.
(00:13):
Blasphemous Redemption is a free substack publication of my personal essays.
It's where I explore my personal faith journey, scripture, and the tensions that shape our
walk with Christ.
I'm Will, and this podcast is where I bring my essays to life, narrating one each week.
(00:35):
Writing has always been my way of processing what I'm learning, of organizing the thoughts
that stir within me.
My hope is that these words challenge, encourage, and edify you as you navigate your own faith
journey as they have me while writing them.
In this episode, I'll be narrating my essay titled, Still, Small Voice, Finding God in
(01:00):
the Quiet and Ordinary.
If you'd like to read along with me, you can find everything at redeemedblasphemy.substack.com.
There you will find additional scriptural and visual resources that further dive into each
topic discussed.
(01:25):
We are drawn to the grand, unmistakable movements of God.
The miraculous healings, the profound spiritual encounters, and the moments when His presence
feels overwhelmingly real.
What about the times in between though?
The waiting periods, the disappointments, the seasons when faithfulness and prayer feel
(01:48):
like nothing more than empty rituals.
In the last episode, we examined how life's changing seasons shape our faith, from moments
of celebration to times of lamentation.
The opening poem of Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us,
(02:08):
For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven, a time to plant
and a time to pluck up what is planted, a time to break down and a time to build up.
Verses 1 through 3.
Some seasons bring clarity, while others bring confusion.
(02:30):
Some seasons feel abundant, while others feel barren.
There are times when God seems near and almost tangible, and other times He feels so distant.
Yet, genuine faithfulness is not about pursuing spiritual highs.
(02:52):
It is about standing firm even when our circumstances do not align with our expectations.
I struggled deeply with this during my divorce.
Which had been my anchor and my vision of stability.
When it unraveled, I wasn't just mourning a relationship lost.
(03:14):
I was forced to confront where I had placed my trust.
My idolatrous reliance on my spouse exposed the fragility of a faith not deeply rooted
in God as illustrated in the parable of the sower.
So, how do we remain steadfast when life is uncertain?
(03:36):
How do we trust God in seasons we never would have chosen?
The answer is not found in relentless striving, but in surrendering.
The answer is learning to discern God not only in the extraordinary, but also in the
quiet, ordinary moments where He so often chooses to do His work.
(04:01):
Faithfulness is not always about visible progress.
Sometimes it is about trusting God even when everything around us feels uncertain.
For example, we have Elijah's dramatic confrontation with the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings chapter
18.
While the prophets of Baal cried out, danced, and even cut themselves in a desperate attempt
(04:23):
to summon their God, lowercase g, for the king and to prove their legitimacy, they were
met with silence.
Elijah, however, simply prayed and fire fell from heaven.
One might expect such undeniable display of divine authority to turn Israel back to the
(04:46):
Lord wholeheartedly.
Baal's prophets had succumbed to the divine fire, who else is left to serve but God?
Instead, in chapter 19, we learn that King Ahab tells Queen Jezebel what Elijah had done,
and she immediately issues a death warrant.
(05:06):
Elijah, fearing for his life, flees into the wilderness.
Relieved and disillusioned, he collapses under a broom tree and prays for death, convinced
his work and ministry has been futile.
This moment is striking.
Elijah had witnessed extraordinary miracles.
(05:28):
God had raised the widow's son from the dead.
He multiplied the oil and flour throughout the famine for another widow, and he sent
fire from heaven.
Yet, at this moment, fear and despair overshadowed his faith.
The resistance of a single individual, Queen Jezebel, causes him to lose sight of all that
(05:52):
God has already done.
Mind you, this is a prophet of God.
One might expect God to firmly rebuke Elijah, but rather than rebuking him, God meets him
in his despair.
He sends an angel to provide food and protection so that he can rest.
(06:15):
Only after Elijah is strengthened does God lead him to Mount Sinai, where he once revealed
himself to Moses.
At Sinai, Elijah expects another dramatic manifestation of divine power.
A mighty wind comes, but God is not in the wind.
(06:37):
An earthquake follows, but God is not in the earthquake.
A fire burns, but God is still not in the fire.
Finally, Elijah hears a gentle whisper, a still small voice in verse 12.
Elijah, what are you doing here?
(07:02):
I imagine this to be the same small voice that urges you to read a certain chapter when
lamenting to God.
It is not a reprimand, but an invitation.
God allows Elijah to voice his distress, to lay bare his frustrations and fears.
Elijah believed he was alone, but he wasn't.
(07:25):
He thought his ministry had been in vain, but God was still at work.
This passage teaches us that if we only seek God in the extraordinary, we may miss him
in the ordinary.
Faithfulness means learning to listen for that whisper.
(07:45):
If you are a believer, take a moment to recognize that you have heard the same still small voice
throughout your life as the prophet Elijah.
Elijah eventually ascended to heaven in a chariot of fire as a result of his unwavering
faith and obedience as a prophet of God.
(08:08):
This constant faithfulness of God is not only a call for our endurance, it is a reflection
of God's nature.
Before we are ever called to be faithful, he has already demonstrated his faithfulness
to us in ways we often overlook.
The very breath in our lungs is evidence of his consistency.
(08:31):
The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
Job 33 verse 4.
We do not sustain ourselves.
God has already established the precise conditions necessary for life.
The same principle applies to the unseen processes that uphold creation.
(08:55):
Psalm 147 verse 8.
He covers the heavens with clouds.
He prepares rain for the earth.
He makes the grass grow on the hills.
Psalm 104 verse 5.
He set the earth on its foundations so that it should never be moved.
We rarely stop to ask whether gravity will hold tomorrow, yet God upholds it unfailingly.
(09:23):
If he is so consistent in sustaining the natural world, how much more can we trust in him to
be faithful in our own lives?
If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.
Psalm 2 Timothy 2 verse 13.
(09:47):
Faithfulness in suffering demands endurance.
Likewise, faithfulness in abundance requires humility.
Hardship tends to force us to depend on God wholeheartedly, while prosperity has a tendency
to tempt us to forget him as I did in my marriage and career.
(10:08):
People also had a similar history that reveals this same tendency.
In the wilderness, they relied on God daily, yet once they reached the promised land, a
place of security and abundance, they quickly turned away.
Deuteronomy chapter 8 verse 11 through 12 reminds us, take care you do not forget the
(10:32):
Lord your God.
When you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them.
Success can be spiritually dangerous as suffering if it fosters self-sufficiency.
While we may not fashion golden idols, we often place our trust in wealth, career, achievements,
(10:57):
or social status.
Gradually, we begin treating God as supplementary rather than essential.
Yet even in these moments, God remains present, waiting for us to acknowledge his blessings.
Faithfulness in these seasons of prosperity means recognizing his hand in our blessings,
(11:21):
stewarding our resources wisely, and maintaining dependence on him even when life feels secure.
Our actions of faithfulness to God often feel small, even insignificant.
We may think he doesn't acknowledge when we avoid temptation or when we pray for our
(11:42):
enemy's peace.
We long for immediate results, for visible proof that our obedience matters.
But Jesus describes the kingdom of God differently.
The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.
(12:02):
It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden
plants and has become a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in the
branches.
Matthew 13 verse 31 through 32.
A mustard seed is tiny and easy to overlook, yet it grows into something far greater than
(12:28):
its size suggests.
In the same way, God also works in our lives during our small acts of faithfulness—prayers
we whisper in faith, quiet acts of obedience to his word, and decisions to trust in him
when no one else sees.
(12:49):
Though these things may seem insignificant at first, they are the seeds of deep spiritual
growth transforming us over time in ways we never expected.
Galatians chapter 6 verse 9, And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season
(13:10):
we will reap if we do not give up.
This is about trusting God in the tensions of life, between expectation in reality, calling
and waiting, and sowing and reaping.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.
(13:31):
His mercies never come to an end.
They are new every morning.
Great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3 verses 22 through 23.
No matter where we find ourselves, the next right step is always faithfulness.
(13:51):
Whether in abundance or wilderness, in the miraculous or the mundane, God is present.
The question is, are you looking for him?
That concludes this episode of Blasphemer's Redemption.
Thank you for listening.
(14:12):
If you found this reflection meaningful, I invite you to explore more of my writing at
redeemedblasphemy.substack.com where you can also subscribe for future essays.
May these words encourage you in your own journey of faith.
To God be the glory.
Hey there, welcome to my podcast.
(00:13):
Blasphemous Redemption is a free substack publication of my personal essays.
It's where I explore my personal faith journey, scripture, and the tensions that shape our
walk with Christ.
I'm Will, and this podcast is where I bring my essays to life, narrating one each week.
(00:35):
Writing has always been my way of processing what I'm learning, of organizing the thoughts
that stir within me.
My hope is that these words challenge, encourage, and edify you as you navigate your own faith
journey as they have me while writing them.
In this episode, I'll be narrating my essay titled, Still, Small Voice, Finding God in
(01:00):
the Quiet and Ordinary.
If you'd like to read along with me, you can find everything at redeemedblasphemy.substack.com.
There you will find additional scriptural and visual resources that further dive into each
topic discussed.
(01:25):
We are drawn to the grand, unmistakable movements of God.
The miraculous healings, the profound spiritual encounters, and the moments when His presence
feels overwhelmingly real.
What about the times in between though?
The waiting periods, the disappointments, the seasons when faithfulness and prayer feel
(01:48):
like nothing more than empty rituals.
In the last episode, we examined how life's changing seasons shape our faith, from moments
of celebration to times of lamentation.
The opening poem of Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us,
(02:08):
For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven, a time to plant
and a time to pluck up what is planted, a time to break down and a time to build up.
Verses 1 through 3.
Some seasons bring clarity, while others bring confusion.
(02:30):
Some seasons feel abundant, while others feel barren.
There are times when God seems near and almost tangible, and other times He feels so distant.
Yet, genuine faithfulness is not about pursuing spiritual highs.
(02:52):
It is about standing firm even when our circumstances do not align with our expectations.
I struggled deeply with this during my divorce.
Which had been my anchor and my vision of stability.
When it unraveled, I wasn't just mourning a relationship lost.
(03:14):
I was forced to confront where I had placed my trust.
My idolatrous reliance on my spouse exposed the fragility of a faith not deeply rooted
in God as illustrated in the parable of the sower.
So, how do we remain steadfast when life is uncertain?
(03:36):
How do we trust God in seasons we never would have chosen?
The answer is not found in relentless striving, but in surrendering.
The answer is learning to discern God not only in the extraordinary, but also in the
quiet, ordinary moments where He so often chooses to do His work.
(04:01):
Faithfulness is not always about visible progress.
Sometimes it is about trusting God even when everything around us feels uncertain.
For example, we have Elijah's dramatic confrontation with the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings chapter
18.
While the prophets of Baal cried out, danced, and even cut themselves in a desperate attempt
(04:23):
to summon their God, lowercase g, for the king and to prove their legitimacy, they were
met with silence.
Elijah, however, simply prayed and fire fell from heaven.
One might expect such undeniable display of divine authority to turn Israel back to the
(04:46):
Lord wholeheartedly.
Baal's prophets had succumbed to the divine fire, who else is left to serve but God?
Instead, in chapter 19, we learn that King Ahab tells Queen Jezebel what Elijah had done,
and she immediately issues a death warrant.
(05:06):
Elijah, fearing for his life, flees into the wilderness.
Relieved and disillusioned, he collapses under a broom tree and prays for death, convinced
his work and ministry has been futile.
This moment is striking.
Elijah had witnessed extraordinary miracles.
(05:28):
God had raised the widow's son from the dead.
He multiplied the oil and flour throughout the famine for another widow, and he sent
fire from heaven.
Yet, at this moment, fear and despair overshadowed his faith.
The resistance of a single individual, Queen Jezebel, causes him to lose sight of all that
(05:52):
God has already done.
Mind you, this is a prophet of God.
One might expect God to firmly rebuke Elijah, but rather than rebuking him, God meets him
in his despair.
He sends an angel to provide food and protection so that he can rest.
(06:15):
Only after Elijah is strengthened does God lead him to Mount Sinai, where he once revealed
himself to Moses.
At Sinai, Elijah expects another dramatic manifestation of divine power.
A mighty wind comes, but God is not in the wind.
(06:37):
An earthquake follows, but God is not in the earthquake.
A fire burns, but God is still not in the fire.
Finally, Elijah hears a gentle whisper, a still small voice in verse 12.
Elijah, what are you doing here?
(07:02):
I imagine this to be the same small voice that urges you to read a certain chapter when
lamenting to God.
It is not a reprimand, but an invitation.
God allows Elijah to voice his distress, to lay bare his frustrations and fears.
Elijah believed he was alone, but he wasn't.
(07:25):
He thought his ministry had been in vain, but God was still at work.
This passage teaches us that if we only seek God in the extraordinary, we may miss him
in the ordinary.
Faithfulness means learning to listen for that whisper.
(07:45):
If you are a believer, take a moment to recognize that you have heard the same still small voice
throughout your life as the prophet Elijah.
Elijah eventually ascended to heaven in a chariot of fire as a result of his unwavering
faith and obedience as a prophet of God.
(08:08):
This constant faithfulness of God is not only a call for our endurance, it is a reflection
of God's nature.
Before we are ever called to be faithful, he has already demonstrated his faithfulness
to us in ways we often overlook.
The very breath in our lungs is evidence of his consistency.
(08:31):
The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
Job 33 verse 4.
We do not sustain ourselves.
God has already established the precise conditions necessary for life.
The same principle applies to the unseen processes that uphold creation.
(08:55):
Psalm 147 verse 8.
He covers the heavens with clouds.
He prepares rain for the earth.
He makes the grass grow on the hills.
Psalm 104 verse 5.
He set the earth on its foundations so that it should never be moved.
We rarely stop to ask whether gravity will hold tomorrow, yet God upholds it unfailingly.
(09:23):
If he is so consistent in sustaining the natural world, how much more can we trust in him to
be faithful in our own lives?
If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.
Psalm 2 Timothy 2 verse 13.
(09:47):
Faithfulness in suffering demands endurance.
Likewise, faithfulness in abundance requires humility.
Hardship tends to force us to depend on God wholeheartedly, while prosperity has a tendency
to tempt us to forget him as I did in my marriage and career.
(10:08):
People also had a similar history that reveals this same tendency.
In the wilderness, they relied on God daily, yet once they reached the promised land, a
place of security and abundance, they quickly turned away.
Deuteronomy chapter 8 verse 11 through 12 reminds us, take care you do not forget the
(10:32):
Lord your God.
When you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them.
Success can be spiritually dangerous as suffering if it fosters self-sufficiency.
While we may not fashion golden idols, we often place our trust in wealth, career, achievements,
(10:57):
or social status.
Gradually, we begin treating God as supplementary rather than essential.
Yet even in these moments, God remains present, waiting for us to acknowledge his blessings.
Faithfulness in these seasons of prosperity means recognizing his hand in our blessings,
(11:21):
stewarding our resources wisely, and maintaining dependence on him even when life feels secure.
Our actions of faithfulness to God often feel small, even insignificant.
We may think he doesn't acknowledge when we avoid temptation or when we pray for our
(11:42):
enemy's peace.
We long for immediate results, for visible proof that our obedience matters.
But Jesus describes the kingdom of God differently.
The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.
(12:02):
It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden
plants and has become a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in the
branches.
Matthew 13 verse 31 through 32.
A mustard seed is tiny and easy to overlook, yet it grows into something far greater than
(12:28):
its size suggests.
In the same way, God also works in our lives during our small acts of faithfulness—prayers
we whisper in faith, quiet acts of obedience to his word, and decisions to trust in him
when no one else sees.
(12:49):
Though these things may seem insignificant at first, they are the seeds of deep spiritual
growth transforming us over time in ways we never expected.
Galatians chapter 6 verse 9, And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season
(13:10):
we will reap if we do not give up.
This is about trusting God in the tensions of life, between expectation in reality, calling
and waiting, and sowing and reaping.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.
(13:31):
His mercies never come to an end.
They are new every morning.
Great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3 verses 22 through 23.
No matter where we find ourselves, the next right step is always faithfulness.
(13:51):
Whether in abundance or wilderness, in the miraculous or the mundane, God is present.
The question is, are you looking for him?
That concludes this episode of Blasphemer's Redemption.
Thank you for listening.
(14:12):
If you found this reflection meaningful, I invite you to explore more of my writing at
redeemedblasphemy.substack.com where you can also subscribe for future essays.
May these words encourage you in your own journey of faith.
To God be the glory.
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