Friday, June 30, 2017

Elijah & The Silence

I Kings 19:11-13

[God] said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”


Lord,
There are some in our world
creating earthquakes,
creating fires,
trying to distract us;
trying to take power.

But
You, O Lord,
are NOT in the earthquake.
You, O Lord,
are NOT in the fire.
You, O Lord,
are NOT in our attempts 
to grab power,
to make ourselves important,
to force our views on others.

No,
O Lord,
You are not there.

You are present
in the silence,
in the sheer silence,
in the voices long silenced.

Give us ears
to hear beyond
beyond the noise,
beyond the cacoffiny of sounds,
beyond all that competes for our attention,
beyond our self-promoting...

Give us ears
to hear the silence,
to listen deeply to the quiet,
to know You,
the breath beneath or breathing.

May You
be the deafening silence
we learn to listen to and obey.

Amen.






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