The Still Small Voice
“The still, small voice.”
We often hear this phrase as a reminder that God is not always to be found in the big, the grand and the loud, but oft times in the stillness and quiet. Let that be a reminder to us to allow for times of stillness and quiet. Go for a walk. Go to your prayer closet. Sit on the porch. But leave the phones, tablets, TV’s, etc. off and give the still small voice time to speak in your life. You might be surprised what happens if you just turn off the constant barrage of noise in our lives!
The reference actually comes from Sunday’s lesson from I Kings (click here to read it).
In the lesson, we find the great prophet Elijah complaining that everyone else has abandoned God and is against him in spite of his having been a faithful servant. Doesn’t sound like a great prophet, does it? Alas, we all fall dreadfully short from time to time. The Lord simply tells him to go the mountain and wait for Him to pass by.
A powerful wind came, but Elijah knew that God was not in the wind. A great earthquake came and, again, God was not in the earthquake. Then came the great stillness and Elijah immediately knew that God was in the stillness. Again, Elijah complains about his faithfulness and how everyone else has abandoned God and even wants to kill him. And what is God’s response to Elijah’s whining? Get back to your work. No rationalizing. No excuses. No “I’m sure that must be really difficult for you.” Just mind your own business and do the work I put before you.
So, two grand lessons. First, if you don’t manage some stillness in your life you’ll likely be missing God. Second, when things get tough, get back to work. Whining accomplishes nothing. Doing the task God puts before you puts everything else in perspective.
This column appeared in the July 23, 2019 issue of St. John’s eNews. Click here for the complete issue.
If you are reading this at a different time you may click here for the current eNews.
