Deaf to the Voice of Love

Anybody remember the story of Elijah on the Mountaintop. He is standing there waiting to hear the voice of God. First comes the earthquake, then the storm, followed by the volcano and in none of these is the voice of God to be heard. Lastly, comes a still wind, or a small voice, and in this gentle passing Elijah not only HEARS God but FEELS His TOUCH. At this Elijah is reduced to a humble and tear soaked man. Interesting isn't it.

Elijah, the guy who called fire from heaven, the guy who outran a King and his chariot, the slayer of 400 false prophets, the man who raised the dead, cursed the insolent and watched a bear devour them, and the second of two people listed in the Bible who went to heaven without dying (and by a fiery chariot no less).

Elijah a prophet who both new and spoke the Word of God, who spoke to God and carried His message to Queens and Kings and courts. This is a man of power, of presence, of incredible leadership ability. The power of God was so present with him that in Elisha's putting on of his cloak Elisha received the power of the Spirit. This is the stuff of Old Testament mystery and, if you deny God's Word, the stuff of science fiction and legend. But in the instance when God brings His message of Love to Elijah we understand the source of this man's life...humble recognition of God's grace and free love.

The difficulty for Elijah, and for us, isn't in knowing that the only source of our lifes true joys and peace is the love of God...it is the practice of paying attention. We know in this age of ADD and ADHD as children are popping pills to stay focussed in the classroom or at home that the art of singular focus and the discipline of filtered listening is lacking in all our lives. Hearing God's voice in the midst of well-intentioned but misguided cries...

"Show me that you are a good person. Be sure you have your future secured. What are your connections? Are you sure you want to spend time with those people? Wouldn't you rather live like me? Let's learn from our famous people? Don't show weakness, you might get used. When you stop being productive, people lose interest in you. Know where you are going. Follow through or just plain follow. If you don't work hard God isn't pleased. The church needs to be bigger and better, more production, more pomp, more cultural relativity."

...coming from friends, parents, teachers, pastors, the media and many other places.

If we lose touch with the voice of God, the voice that calls us Beloved, then these voices have called us away from home. Anger, jealousy, resentment, desire for revenge, lust, greed, antagonism, factionalism, rivalries, sloth, apathy, bitterness and other such fruits start to fill our life.

Without much effort we slip into thinking about how we were rejected, hurt or abandoned. We begin to brood over others successes, our own loneliness, and how the world has abused us. We daydream about becoming rich, powerful and very famous. And all of these unintentional thoughts reveal the fragility of our faith that we are the BELOVED ONE on whom GOD'S FAVOR RESTS.

Like Elijah we are afraid of being disliked, hated, hurt, left alone, but if we chase the earthquakes, storms, or volcanoes of other voices we will not hear the quiet voice of love that is God's voice, that drops us to our knees with the recognition that we were God's enemy but even as His enemy He loves us, gave His Son for us, and with us He is well pleased. We are His beloved, and in that is peace and strenth.

Amen