Kingdom Building

June 18, 2019

Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 19:11-15
He said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ 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. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He answered, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram.

I have always been intrigued by the phrases in the scripture above and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Have you ever heard the sound of sheer silence? Have we every quieted ourselves enough to be opened to communion with God?

Many years ago, I was questioning myself and my life plans wondering if I was doing what I was supposed to be doing. I took several weeks off from work and took and extended road trip. I postponed leaving so I could attend the wedding of a good friend. A wedding I knew was destined for disruption which occurred. I walked out of the church, got in my car and heading east on I-40 with the radio blaring, feeling badly about the wedding and about all the “junk” that had driven me to take this trip. I stopped for fuel and food that I ate in my car and drove from Oklahoma City to Knoxville Tennessee. After checking into a motel, I crashed for the night. The next morning, I was in better spirits, took the time to eat breakfast that was included in the motel’s service, and headed southeast into the National Forest in North Carolina. I found myself surrounded by beautiful trees under a gorgeous blue sky. I first lowered the volume on my radio and finally turned it off. The sound seemed sacrilegious in a place like this. I even turned the air conditioner off and rolled down the windows feeling a gentle breeze and hearing sheer silence. My soul’s healing began at that moment.

I am sure God was with me in the drive, which was a stupid thing to do, but God’s calming my soul led me to lie down in green pastures* until I returned to the real world where poverty and child abuse remained and allowed me to return to the work to which I realized I was called.

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for your presence in all aspects of our lives and we thank you for healing our souls when they become frayed at the edges of life. Amen.

*From Psalm 23

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.