The Importance of A Noise Cancelling Lifestyle
While hiding in a cave on the mountain the word of God asks Elijah, ‘What are you doing here?’ Elijah proceeds to launch into a rather whiney rant along the lines of “No one likes me, Everybody hates me, and all my hard work and sacrifice on your behalf, Lord, has fallen on deaf ears.”
So God tells Elijah to go stand on the mountain because he is going to give Elijah the greatest and most empowering gift of all—God is going to be present with his servant.
Then there are a series of spectacular, nearly apocalyptic events: there is a stone-shattering wind, there is a mountain-trembling earthquake, and there is a all-consuming wild fire. But the scripture says, God was not present in any of these attention-grabbing displays of power. Then there is, depending on your translation, “the sound of sheer silence,” a still small voice, or a gentle whisper. God makes himself known to Elijah—not in the engaging, fast paced, awe-inspiring ways that he is used to—God comes to his prophet in utter silence, wrapped around a whisper.
And here’s what most people miss about this story: Elijah can’t hear it. Elijah misses it. Elijah fails to recognize it for what it truly is. God offers the rarest and most transformative gift God can—his literal presence with one of his creatures—but Elijah is so wired into the impressive displays of power that he is unable to receive the gift God has given him.
In Shaina’s children’s sermon Sunday, she pointed out how many loud and demanding noises, voices, and sounds we are subjected to all the time. When the radio’s playing, the podcast is casting, the TV is blaring, the neighbor’s car alarm is squawking—it is hard to hear our own children, spouse, or friends. Perceiving a whisper is practically impossible. Yet that is exactly how God chooses to make himself known to us—at least some of the time. Woe to us if we consistently fail to turn down and tune out the distractions and really listen. Woe to us if we too fail to hear God’s word or appreciate God’s presence.
Archived Posts
Prayer Changes Things
Here is a transcript of the prayer I prayed at the end of yesterday’s sermon.
Optimism, Faith, and Hope:
Practical Steps For Increasing All Three
Here are some practical, spiritual, and relational ways to grow faith, hope and optimism:
Listening Heart
It’s kind of crazy when you think about it. Wisdom in the Bible is all about listening. Of course it makes sense that wisdom would start with listening to God, to God’s law and commandments, as well as the promptings and leadings of the Holy Spirit.
Here are some quotes that
didn’t make it into Sunday’s sermon.
(But it doesn’t mean that they don’t offer real insight into the power of risk over the fear of failure...)
Such A Rich Passage (Luke 19:1-10)
I reflected a lot on the passage about Zacchaeus because it has been written off as “been there, read that, little guy in a tree.” But it is so rich in getting to the heart of what it means to be saved by grace through faith—to live our lives out of gratitude rather than obligation.
The Power of Presence
This last Sunday I had so much more to share than time to share it. The last Emotional Management Technique was to stay present in the process. Just as Jesus stayed with the woman who was judged and found guilty by the angry crowd, we stay by our children and our friends, especially when they need us the most. Here a couple of examples...
What’s In A Benediction?
Last Sunday I used one of my favorite benedictions.
It was inspired by a saying from about ten years ago: