The sound of sheer silence

I've been thinking a lot recently about the need to listen to the still small voice of God.

Because God doesn't come to us in HUGE ways .... not, as I heard recently, as an 11' angel at the foot of our bed. In the book of Kings Elijah discovered that God was not in the fire nor the earthquake but in the 'sound of sheer silence'.

Just as God came to Elijah in the sound of sheer silence he comes to us in very subtle ways. For instance, I was struggling over Holy Week and wondering where my 'place' is/was in the church. I am passionate about my participation as an acolyte but was having some difficulties. So one evening a lovely woman took the time to seek me out and tell me something that was exactly what I needed to hear at that time. In my mind she was the 11' foot angel that I needed. But if I hadn't listened ... with my heart and not just my ears .... I might easily have missed the voice of God within her words.

As well, when I got an email the other day from a friend asking if I would be interested in joining an organization to which he'd belonged for years I realized that contained in his words was the still small voice of God.

Because I had been thinking of just exactly that!

In fact only a few days before he sent me the email I had attempted to find the website but had been unsuccessful. I'd not said anything to anyone and yet, when his message came, I was initially quite startled because of what I first thought of as a coincidence but then realized that this was a gentle nudge from God. Because there's a great saying that there is no such thing as coincidences, just God working miracles anonymously.

So if I'm accepted into this organization I will update this blog and keep you posted on the new direction in my life. I'm excited as I haven't been for a very long time. Pray for me, a sinner.

"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."