CXXXII
A Sheer Silence
(8/4)
God was not in the earthquake, and God was not in the fire, but then there was the sound of sheer silence. (I Kings 11:12; read I Kings 11:11-14)
God is present in all things – the majestic and the modest, the flamboyant and the fragile, the awesome and the unnoticed. In today’s scripture, Elijah is on the run. Queen Jezebel has a bounty out for him and he is terrified. He doubts his mission and wonders if he deserves to live. At the low ebb, God presents him with storm, wind, earthquake, and fire, and none of these reveals divine wisdom. God is in the sheer silence.
When Elijah pauses, he hears a still, small voice of sheer silence and then a question, “What are you doing here?” When we pause and listen, we may discover the deeper meaning of our actions. We may discover what we are truly doing and why we are here. And in listening, we reclaim our spiritual GPS and find direction for moving forward.
Today, we might say that there was a virus, there was political activity, there was the daily news, and then there was a still small voice, helping us to make sense of the maelstrom of activities that often disorient us.
Let us take time to listen, to claim our spiritual center, and then act with grace and compassion to heal the world.
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Help us find your quiet center, Loving God. Orient and reorient and help us find our way in companionship with Your way. Let us listen for God in the quiet. Amen.
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