Daily Devotion

After a particularly rainy day and night, I woke up to find the skies were looking a LOT less cloudy.  I took full advantage of the change. I took a towel out to my picnic table and dried off a patch to sit and took a moment for myself. Even as an extrovert, the full days with a full house (two kids, my spouse, and two dogs) meant I was in need of a little quiet.  After the steady flow of national news reports, the daily updates from the State officials, checking in with family, friends, folks from church, and the staff at GSLC, everything seemed louder, scarier, and more uncertain than the previous day.

Sitting at my picnic table I was struck by how quiet it was. I don’t typically enjoy quiet—I actually try to avoid it at times. It felt SO quiet out there. That could be because I usually don’t sit out at my picnic table in the morning. I’m usually waking up kids and taking care of their lunches or getting breakfast ready. I’m gathering my things to head into the office. I’m coordinating the day’s schedule with my wife and determining who is picking up which kids and when. I schedule the errands I have to run, the kids’ practices, rehearsals, lessons, and our own schedules, as well. I don’t ever really sit in the quiet because I don’t ever have to.

However, in this moment—when the world had seemed particularly noisy the day before—I was struck by the quiet.  I thought about a story from First Kings when Elijah was hiding from people who meant to do him harm. He ran, he hid, he lamented, and he found himself on a mountain, in a cave, alone, when a voice called out to him saying…

“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?”

Not in the great wind. Not in the earthquakes or fire. In the midst of all the news reports; in the midst of the fear, the anxiety; in the midst of this storm of uncertainty God whispers in the moments of silence, “What are you doing here?” 

We are imitating Jesus. Through it all, the mission is the same. We are imitating Jesus in our care for one another and the world. 

How are you making time for silence in the midst of these challenging times?

What do you feel God is calling you to in the midst of this? Have you asked God? And if you have asked, have you spent some time listening for a response? Often, I simply ask and expect a clear and loud answer. Elijah reminds me that sometimes it is in the place I try to avoid most—silence—where I may hear God most clearly. 

Peace, 

Pastor Alex

4 comments on article "Daily Devotion"

barbara a watson

Oh Pastor Alex - I am overwhelmed with tears of how this as struck my inner soul. I have learned to listen to God and yes, when I am still I hear him loud and clear. I just can't believe you wrote this exact scenerio. God has spoken to me again - this time through you. Thank you so much - I feel like my spirit has been touched by Him.

3/25/2020 10:14 AM

Reply to

Tamie Sullivan

So beautiful. I read this in the silence of my home. My husband and my son are both serving, doing essential jobs in healthcare and banking, while I am able to run my small business and from home. I had just finished my online Zoom yoga class and this was a much-needed messsage. I will now look to add the GS daily devotion to my new routine. Thank you, Pastor Alex. Tamie Sullivan

3/25/2020 10:46 AM

Reply to

Laurie VanDrake

Music is helping a lot!

Even on TV they are running updates at the bottom of the screen.

That message needs to get out.

The quiet is centering and calming.

It is telling me I need more quiet time from our busy world!

We can hear Jesus so much clearer! Thank you!

3/25/2020 11:29 AM

Reply to

Roy Johnson

Very thought provoking considering what we are going through right now. Weather permitting, I frequently sit out on our front stoop to relax while marveling at the sites and sounds of God's creation.

3/25/2020 7:33 PM

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