Aug 10 2008
God does not always speak loudly
From this Sunday’s first reading:
At Horeb the mount of God. And there he came to a cave, and lodged there; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Eli’jah?” He said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the people of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thy altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” And he said, “Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks 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. And when Eli’jah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. (1 Kings 19: 9-13 RSV)
God almost always talks to us in subtle not loud ways and that means most of us will ignore Him since most of us (including myself) need to be hit with a sledge hammer to get our attention. In addition, many expect God to say Yes to us when often it is no. Being open to God means to be open to everything he says, not just what we want to hear and when we want to hear it.
