Flatwood Baptist Church Decatur, Texas

The Burning Bush Devotional June 7th, 2026
When God Speaks in the Quiet
Scripture References: 1 Kings 19:11-13, Psalm 46:10, Matthew 6:6

The world around us is rarely quiet. There is always another responsibility to carry, another problem to solve, another demand on our time, and another voice competing for our attention. We rush from one task to the next and often convince ourselves that being busy is the same thing as being productive. In the process, we can become so accustomed to noise that we struggle to recognize the voice of God when He speaks. As a Pastor I hear this from families more now than I ever have before. “I don’t have time for God, Bible study, Quiet times, or Church… “it’s My only day off.” There is no quiet in my life.”

Elijah understood what it felt like to be overwhelmed. After experiencing one of the greatest victories of his ministry on Mount Carmel, he found himself exhausted, discouraged, and running for his life. The prophet who had boldly stood before kings and false prophets now sat alone in fear and weariness. He had reached the point where he felt like he had nothing left to give. When God met Elijah on the mountain, the Lord sent a powerful wind, then came an earthquake, and it finished with a fire. Each event displayed the power and majesty of God, yet the Lord was not in any of them. Finally, Elijah heard what Scripture describes as a gentle whisper. It was there, in the quiet, that God spoke.

1 Kings 19:12-13 "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." Many believers spend their lives looking for God in the spectacular while overlooking Him in the simple. We look for dramatic signs, extraordinary circumstances, and unmistakable displays of power. Meanwhile, God often chooses to speak through His Word, through prayer, through conviction from the Holy Spirit, and through those quiet moments when our hearts are finally still enough to listen. One of the greatest obstacles to hearing God is not His unwillingness to speak but our unwillingness to slow down. A crowded schedule often produces a crowded heart. When every moment is filled with activity, entertainment, worry, or distraction, there is little room left to hear the gentle whisper of God's direction.

The command found in Scripture is both simple and challenging. Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God." Stillness is not inactivity as many suppose it is… It is intentional surrender so that God can work His will in you. It is creating space for God to speak and then resisting the urge to fill that space with our own words, plans, and anxieties. It is trusting that the Lord is at work even when we are not rushing from one thing to the next. Remember what I said at the top; “The world is rarely quiet.” "Even when the world appears quiet, it often fills the silence with white noise disguised as comfort and entertainment, distracting us from what is truly important—the voice of God and His will." Jesus Himself often withdrew from the crowds to spend time alone with the Father. If the Son of God made room for quiet fellowship, how much more should we? There are some things God teaches us only when the noise fades and our attention turns fully toward Him.

So today, take a few moments to step away from the noise, turn off the distractions, and open your Bible. Spend time in prayer, sit quietly before the Lord, and you may discover that the voice you have been longing to hear has been speaking all along. The problem was never that God was silent...it was simply that there was too much noise around you to hear Him.

Serving Christ Together
Pastor Doug

The Burning Bush Devotional June 2
Job Needed Comfort, Not Criticism – Relationships Listen Before They Lecture
Job 2:11–13; Job 16:1–5; Romans 12:15; Proverbs 18:13

One of the greatest gifts we can offer someone who is hurting is our presence. Yet one of the greatest mistakes people often make when faced with another person's suffering is feeling obligated to immediately explain it, fix, analyze, or solve it. Compassion does not always arrive with answers, sometimes it arrives carrying nothing more than a listening ear, a caring heart, and the willingness to simply sit with someone in their pain. Relationship Thinking understands that hurting people are not projects to be fixed; they are people to be loved.

Few stories in Scripture illustrate this truth better than the life of Job. In a truly short period of time, Job lost his children, his wealth, his health, and nearly every sense of stability he had known. The suffering was overwhelming. Yet when Job's three friends first arrived, they actually did something remarkably wise. Scripture tells us they sat with him for seven days and seven nights without speaking a word because they saw how great his suffering was. Sometimes silence can be one of the purest expressions of compassion. Unfortunately, things changed when they began talking. What started as comfort slowly turned into criticism. What started as compassion became accusation. Instead of listening carefully to Job's broken heart, they became convinced they already knew why he was suffering. They assumed God must be punishing him for some hidden sin. Rather than helping carry his burden, they added weight to it. Rather than bringing healing, they brought hurt. Job eventually responded in Job 16:2, "I have heard many things like these; you are miserable comforters, all of you!"

That statement should challenge every believer because many well-meaning Christians accidentally become miserable comforters. They rush to explain before they understand. They lecture before they listen. They offer answers before they hear the whole story. The problem is not usually a lack of concern. The problem is a lack of Relationship Thinking. Relationship Thinking slows down long enough to understand what a person actually needs. Sometimes hurting people do not need a sermon, Sometimes they do not need advice or even correction.
Sometimes they simply need someone willing to sit beside them and remind them they are not alone. That is why Romans 12:15 instructs believers, "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn." Notice Paul does not say explain their mourning…he says enter into it. Compassion steps into another person's reality long enough to help carry what they are carrying.

This is one of the reasons Jesus was so effective in ministering to broken people. He listened. He asked questions. He saw beyond the symptoms and recognized the deeper wounds beneath the surface. He understood that healing often begins when people feel heard and understood. This is why Relationships with those we desire to minister with and to are so important.

Obviously, Jesus knows everyone’s hearts whether the person realizes it or not. But as a Pastor I promise you if you take the time to build the relationship with those you minister to and with, before, during and after you minister it will be a worthwhile endeavor that everyone will be blessed from. Proverbs 18:13 provides a warning many of us need to remember: "To answer before listening—that is folly and shame." How much pain could be avoided if believers practiced that verse more consistently? How many wounded hearts would feel safer sharing their struggles if they knew they would be heard before they were judged? Take a moment to build the relationship because there are people sitting in our churches every Sunday carrying burdens they have never spoken aloud. Some have experienced grief, betrayal, addiction, failure, loneliness, depression, or disappointment. They do not always need someone to immediately tell them what to do. Often they need someone willing to listen long enough to understand what they are going through.

So, the question today is not whether people around you are hurting because many are. The question is whether you are listening long enough to understand their pain before trying to explain it. Because healing often begins when somebody cares enough to listen before they lecture.

Serving Christ Together
Pastor Doug