the still, small, inner voice

It seems like the idea of God speaking to us through a "still, small, inner voice" is very popular nowadays. For my part, when I was in Youth With A Mission for a few years, we were taught that God is always speaking, but we needed to learn to listen, and this listening usually involved taking certain steps to hear God voice.

But since that time (it's been a few years since I was with YWAM), I've looked at the idea a bit more closely, and I'm simply not convinced now that it has good biblical support.

The main support comes from the account of Elijah, after he's run from Jezebel and has come to a mountain. He's in a cave on that mountain when there is a fire and an earthquake, but then the account says that after those things God spoke to him in "a still, small voice". The problem with using that account the way it's used today is that, while the modern spin on it is that we need to hear a voice inside ourselves, the biblical account indicates that the voice Elijah heard was one he heard with his ears, it was outside himself.

I also wonder why that account is singled out as some kind of template of how God speaks to us. The Bible records many different ways God spoke to people. To point to this account of Elijah and try to internalize it seems as iffy as taking the account of God speaking to Moses from a bush that looked to be on fire, and trying to say that God will speak to us through heartburn.

A few others aspects of the modern notion of "the still, small, inner voice" could be questioned, too. This voice is usually not much of a voice at all, it's merely feelings and impressions, things that are unstable in themselves, changeable as the weather, and difficult to pin down and understand. It's often used to justify crazy actions and unwise decisions. And taken to extremes, people tend to rely more on what they think this voice is telling them then what God has already said in His Word, so that even when they think that voice is telling them to do something the contradicts that Bible, they will follow that voice instead of the Bible.

I've come to think that "the still, small, inner voice" is not really a good thing for Christians to focus on. I'm not entirely against the notion that God could speak to a person, but I also think that if He does so He can do so plainly and clearly.

I agree so much right at this moment...
Having a discussion with an old friend-turned-FB acquaintance about how he is constantly following his feelings. If those feelings conflict with what the Bible says, then we just aren't interpreting the Bible correctly.
Of course, he wouldn't say it is his feelings, it is "being led by the spirit".

I think the telling part is how often the "voice" people hear is in opposition to the Bible.

Reminds me of Paul's warning:

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. -- Galatians 1:8

God speaks in many ways:

1. Through His written word
2. Through other Christians
3. Through the natural world
4. Through the Holy Spirit
5. Through circumstances

And many other ways. Rule of thumb: if anything you're hearing contradicts #1, ignore it.

I think you guys are absolutely right.

We should be open and listening, because God will use all kinds of experiences, thoughts, impressions and feelings (even heartburn!) to get our attention or reorient our thoughts to where he wants them. But both our flesh and the enemy have the same tools. So I think the way we develop our ability to listen for and hear the Holy Spirit is directly related to our understanding of scripture and our ability to keep it in mind throughout the day. It was once described to me as a grid or "filter" we should pass all of those subjective things through, to help us identify which of those are Yahweh saying something to us.