Still morning

I am reading 1 Kings lately. I admitted here earlier that I had really left Bible study out of my life for a while, and I am so thankful to the Lord that He has forgiven me for that and also let me learn about Him again in a whole new perspective, love, amazement at His story, His power, and His incredible love.

So I'm towards the end of 1 Kings and I'm reading about Elijah and how he flees from Jezebel and the Lord leads him to travel for 40 days and 40 nights. He ends up at Horeb, "the mountain of God" and "The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by."

And this is what happens next:
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?"

This passage floored me. God showed His mighty power, but chose to use an intimate whisper to speak to Elijah.

There are no words.

Sometimes I look up commentary on passages to make sure I am understanding them correctly. John Wesley's commentary said this:

A still voice — To intimate, that God would do his work in and for Israel in his own time, not by might or power, but by his own spirit, Zechariah 4:6, which moves with a powerful, but yet with a sweet and gentle gale.

And Zechariah 4:6 says: "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty."

I don't really know how to describe how much this passage has moved me. Praise the Lord...He is merciful and compassionate.

And I want to be merciful and compassionate, the way He is calling me to be. How often in my classroom do I gently speak to a child to get them back on task or correct their behavior? How often do I use "might and power" and discipline quickly? I want to have a gentle, quiet spirit.