9 August 2020

The Lord was not in the wind;
… the Lord was not in the earthquake;
… the Lord was not in the fire;
… and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.
From 1 Kings 19: 9, 11-13 (NRSV)

The prophet Elijah has fled for his life into the wilderness and has made his way to the Holy Mountain, Horeb, in the Sinai desert. This was where Moses and the People encountered God in thunder, lightning and earthquake. Elijah experienced those too – as well as wind and fire – but did not sense  the presence of God in them. For Elijah, the Presence of God came in what this translation calls the “sound of sheer silence”. Other translations refer to the “sound of a gentle breeze” or “the still, small voice of calm”. The fact that it is so hard to translate gives us an indication of the difficulty in pinning such an experience down. We know it when we are in it, but it is almost impossible to describe to someone else. It is where you are so close to the ultimate reality that you scarcely want to breathe. No drama – no storm – just a breathless moment of Presence. 

• • When have you had an experience like this – a moment when you felt in tune with God – the universe?
  • How have moments like this sustained you in the busy-ness and ordinariness of daily life?

Try to find time today to have peace and silence. Simply breathe in the Presence of God.