Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain
before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong
wind tore into the mountains and broke the 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 still small voice. I Kings 19:
11-12 (NKJV)
Je prends ma
place dans le jardin…I take my
seat in the garden.
On this clear sky-blue sunny day, two weeks before
Thanksgiving, we’ve experienced our first threat of frost this morning. Nestled ‘round me in the herb garden are
cherry sage with blossoms of red, pink and white, rosemary, other plants with
blooms in bright hues of yellow, amber, deep purple and fuchsia, two huge
potted olive trees and a lone 4 ½ foot stone stand containing various succulent
sedums. There is a single monarch
butterfly going from plant to plant and a very pale egg-shelled butterfly
flapping and flying quickly from here to yon searching for nectar, staying in
the brilliant warm sunshine. Summer is
past and we have another month left of autumn.
At times like these do you ever yearn for a quiet place to gather your
thoughts and listen?
I’ve been pondering last Sunday’s sermon by Dr. Gary
Fisher, who’s been with us the last four Sundays. The scripture for the day was I Kings,
chapter 19, where Elijah ran away to Horeb, running for his life to hide in a
cave. He was summoned by the Word of God
to look and listen from the mount, whereupon there appeared first powerful
winds that tore apart the rocks, then an earthquake and then a fire, but God
was not in these. Then, there was a
still small voice, yet in Hebrew, the words meant the sound of silence. A silent voice? How did Elijah hear a silent voice with his
ears? He didn’t. He heard with his heart. You see, there are ways to listen without
hearing audibly. Have you heard God
lately?
When has God spoken to you? When have you stopped to take the time to
listen? Why do we jam our lives with all
these arduous and stressful activities?
Is it because we are afraid to hear what is going to be said? Why don’t we take some deliberate set-aside
time every day to meditate and silently listen to God? I can promise that if you take time, God will
speak to you in a way that you can understand.
It will cause you to become more aware of His Presence as well as to
sense His leading and prompting in your life.
Prayer: Dear
Lord, You have brought us safe thus far, sometimes in spite of ourselves. Thank You for never turning away, and for
bringing the grace of beauty, community and second-chances into our lives. Walk with us as we step toward the unknown of
turning to You, listening to You and trusting You as we go through life’s
journey. Amen.
Your friend,
Mark
David Jackson
