Day 3 Study Guide — Can You Hear Him?
Anchor Scripture
Jeremiah 33:3 (CSB)
“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and incomprehensible things you do not know.”
Today’s Main Reading
Read 1 Kings 19:9–18 in its entirety.
We began this fast asking God for clarity.
On Day 1, we learned not to rely solely on what we see. We asked God to reveal what we could not see.
On Day 2, we removed distractions, sought God's presence, and surrendered our desires to His.
Now, on Day 3, we're asking:
“Lord, make me sensitive to Your voice.”
Elijah stood on the mountain before the Lord. A powerful wind came. Then an earthquake. Then fire. Yet Scripture tells us the Lord was not in those things.
Afterward came a soft whisper.
Key verse — 1 Kings 19:12 (CSB):
“After the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper.”
Key Themes for Today
Hearing • Sensitivity • Discernment • Perception • Correction • Direction • Obedience
PART 1 — STUDY THE TEXT
After reading 1 Kings 19:9–18, answer these questions directly from the passage.
1. Where was Elijah when the word of the Lord came to him?
1 Kings 19:9
2. What question did God ask Elijah?
1 Kings 19:9
3. How did Elijah describe his situation to God?
1 Kings 19:10
4. What did God tell Elijah to do next?
1 Kings 19:11
5. What three dramatic events occurred while Elijah stood before the Lord?
1 Kings 19:11–12
6. Was the Lord in the wind, earthquake, or fire?
7. What came after the fire?
1 Kings 19:12
8. What did Elijah do when he heard the soft whisper?
1 Kings 19:13
9. What belief did Elijah repeat concerning himself and Israel?
1 Kings 19:14
10. After speaking with Elijah, what instructions did God give him?
1 Kings 19:15–16
11. What did God reveal in verse 18 that Elijah apparently did not know?
PART 2 — THINK ABOUT IT
Elijah had experienced God powerfully before.
He had seen supernatural provision.
He had witnessed fire fall from heaven.
He had seen God answer prayer.
Yet in this moment, God wasn't revealing Himself to Elijah through the dramatic things happening around him.
There was wind.
There was an earthquake.
There was fire.
And then:
A soft whisper.
This gives us an important lesson as we end our fast:
Everything that gets your attention isn't necessarily God's direction.
Sometimes we're waiting for God to do something dramatic while overlooking the quieter ways He may be directing us through Scripture, prayer, wisdom, conviction, and the work of the Holy Spirit.
Clarity isn't always about God speaking louder.
Sometimes we need to become more sensitive listeners.
PART 3 — BRING IT INTO YOUR LIFE
Take these questions before God honestly.
1. What voices have been competing for my attention during this season?
2. Have I been expecting God to speak to me in one particular way?
3. Could I be overlooking God's direction because I'm waiting for something more dramatic?
4. What has God already made clear to me through Scripture?
5. Is there something God has repeatedly brought to my attention that I have been hesitant to address?
6. Have my emotions, fears, expectations, disappointments, or desires affected how I am interpreting this season?
7. Is there something I believe about my current circumstances that I need to allow God to correct?
8. Am I willing to discover that something I strongly believed may not represent the complete picture?
9. What has become clearer to me during these three days of fasting?
10. If God has already given me direction, what act of obedience needs to come next?
Take This Question Before God
“Lord, is there anything I have misunderstood about this season?”
Then ask:
“Lord, what have You already made clear that I now need to obey?”
Don't force an answer.
Return to Scripture. Pray. Listen. Test what you believe you're hearing against God's Word, and give Him permission to correct your interpretation.
PART 4 — CORRECT MY PERCEPTION
There's another important part of Elijah's encounter that we shouldn't overlook.
Elijah repeatedly told God:
“I am the only one left…”
But God eventually told Elijah in 1 Kings 19:18 that He would leave 7,000 in Israel who had not bowed to Baal.
Elijah knew something about his circumstances.
But he didn't know everything.
That's important.
A sincere person can still have an incomplete perspective.
A person who loves God can still misunderstand a situation.
Even someone who has heard God accurately before can still need God to correct what they currently believe.
That's why our anchor Scripture for this entire fast has been Jeremiah 33:3.
There are things we do not know.
So our prayer isn't:
“God, prove that my interpretation is right.”
Our prayer is:
“God, show me what is true.”
If I've misread the situation—correct me.
If fear has distorted my perspective—correct me.
If disappointment has distorted my perspective—correct me.
If desire has caused me to see what I wanted to see—correct me.
If I've reached a conclusion without having the complete picture—show me what I don't know.
PART 5 — GO DEEPER IN SCRIPTURE
Don't stop with 1 Kings 19. Study what Scripture teaches about hearing, testing, wisdom, and obedience.
John 10:27 — Know His Voice
“My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.”
Notice the progression:
Hear → Know → Follow
Hearing isn't the end.
Following matters.
Study question:
What does following Jesus require from me after I recognize what Scripture makes clear?
Isaiah 30:21 — Direction for the Way
Isaiah describes hearing direction concerning whether to turn right or left:
“This is the way. Walk in it.”
Study question:
Am I seeking direction because I'm prepared to follow it—or simply because I want certainty?
Psalm 119:105 — Let Scripture Illuminate the Path
“Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.”
God's Word gives us a standard for evaluating what we believe we're hearing.
Study question:
Does the direction I'm considering agree with God's revealed Word?
1 John 4:1 — Test What You Hear
Scripture tells believers not to believe every spirit but to test the spirits.
Spiritual sensitivity doesn't mean accepting every impression, dream, feeling, thought, or message automatically.
Study question:
Am I testing what I believe I'm hearing rather than simply accepting it because it feels spiritual?
James 1:5 — Ask for Wisdom
When we lack wisdom, God invites us to ask Him.
Study question:
Where do I still need wisdom rather than another sign?
James 1:22 — Hearing Should Produce Action
James warns us not to become hearers of the Word without becoming doers.
Study question:
What truth do I already understand but now need to put into practice?
PART 6 — PRAYER → DECLARATION
Remember:
We are not attempting to make God do something through our words.
We are finding what God has already said in Scripture and bringing our prayers, thoughts, decisions, and actions into agreement with Him.
STEP 1 — IDENTIFY THE MATTER
Where do I still need clarity?
What do I currently believe God is showing me?
What Scriptures relate directly to this matter?
Is there anything I'm assuming that God may need to correct?
What would obedience look like if the direction becomes clear?
STEP 2 — CHOOSE YOUR SCRIPTURAL FOUNDATION
Choose at least two Scriptures from today's study.
Scripture #1: _______________________________
What does this Scripture teach me?
Scripture #2: _______________________________
What does this Scripture teach me?
STEP 3 — WRITE YOUR PRAYER
A prayer brings the matter before God and asks for His wisdom, correction, and direction.
Example Prayer
Father, quiet every voice that competes with Your truth. Make me sensitive to Your leading and help me recognize what agrees with Your Word. Correct anything I have misunderstood about this season. If fear, disappointment, excitement, or my own desires have distorted my perception, reveal it to me. Show me what I do not know. Give me wisdom to test what I believe I am hearing and humility to receive correction. And when Your direction becomes clear, give me the courage to obey You. In Jesus' name, amen.
Now write your own:
STEP 4 — WRITE YOUR DECLARATION
A declaration speaks what Scripture says and brings your thinking into agreement with God's Word.
Example Declaration
I declare that God's Word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path. I will seek God's wisdom and test what I believe I am hearing according to Scripture. I do not have to understand everything at once. I will remain teachable, prayerful, and willing to have my perception corrected. As God makes His direction clear, I will respond with faith and obedience.
Now write your own:
PART 7 — DAY 3 FASTING FOCUS
As we complete this fast, don't spend the final hours trying to force God to give you an answer.
Instead, return to what we've practiced for three days.
Get quiet.
Open your Bible.
Pray.
Listen.
Write down what has become clear.
And separate three things in your journal:
WHAT GOD'S WORD MAKES CLEAR
What do I know because Scripture clearly teaches it?
WHAT I STILL NEED WISDOM ABOUT
What requires additional prayer, time, counsel, or observation?
WHAT REQUIRES OBEDIENCE
What do I already understand but now need to act upon?
This keeps us from confusing clarity with certainty about every detail.
Sometimes God gives enough light for the next step, not the entire journey.
DAY 3 CLOSING REFLECTION
Think back over all three days.
DAY 1 — DISCERN
“Lord, show me what I cannot see.”
We studied Joshua 9 and learned:
Don't move simply because something looks convincing. Inquire of the Lord.
DAY 2 — ALIGN
“Lord, teach me Your ways.”
We studied Exodus 33 and learned:
Don't become so focused on receiving direction that you neglect God's presence.
Our posture became:
“If You're not in it, I don't want it.”
DAY 3 — HEAR
“Lord, make me sensitive to Your voice.”
We studied 1 Kings 19 and learned:
Don't assume that everything loud is God—and don't assume that your current perception is the complete picture.
And now we add the final piece:
OBEY
We didn't fast simply to collect information.
We sought God so that our lives could become increasingly aligned with Him.
DISCERN → ALIGN → HEAR → OBEY
And Jeremiah 33:3 brings us back to where we started:
Call to Him.
Allow Him to answer.
Remain willing to learn what you didn't know.
Then have the courage to respond to what He makes clear.
Final Prayer
Lord, thank You for meeting us during these three days. Keep our hearts sensitive, our minds teachable, and our lives surrendered to You. Help us discern wisely, align ourselves with Your ways, recognize Your direction, and obey Your Word. Correct us when we're wrong, confirm what is true through Your Word, and give us peace concerning the things that still require time. Above everything else, let us desire You more than we desire an answer. In Jesus' name, amen.