As a girl, I expected God’s voice to come booming from parted clouds, and when it never happened, I just assumed that God did not care about me. Today’s reading, however, reminds us that God often speaks to us not in earth-shattering ways but in stillness and quiet. It was through ‘a sound of sheer silence’ that Elijah heard God’s voice.

When my grandmother passed away, I could not stop crying. Wanting to be alone, I hiked up a mountain close to where I lived. I sat on a rock some distance away from the main path and the distractions of modern life. There, I just let the tears flow. In that time of grief, I knew that God was near. In the silence, he comforted me through the warmth of the sun. In the silence, he renewed me with the coolness of the wind, and in the silence, I sensed him saying, ‘You are not alone. This is not the end. You will see her again. I love you.’

In the silence, God’s voice becomes clear. He wants to show love for us – to respond to our struggles, joys, frustrations, dreams and all that is in our hearts. In the silence, God speaks.

 

Prayer: Dear God, help us to quiet our hearts so that we may hear you more clearly. Amen