The Place of Stillness

 At a moment when Elijah should have been basking in the victory on Mt. Carmel (I Kings 18:20 ff.), he is found hanging out in fear at the mouth of a cave on Mt. Horeb.  He was told by the Lord, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by."  (I Kings 19:11).  There was the sound of a great wind.  There was the sound of rocks breaking.  And, finally there was a great crackling fire. Each of these moments filled the air with a sound of its own.  And in between each sound so overwhelming to the ears was silence.  Finally, there came that moment of what is described as sheer silence and in that sound, the voice of the Lord was heard.      

In that moment when the earth was stilled in silence, the Lord spoke.  Such can be expected to happen in our lives.  If we walk into the stillness long enough, it will begin to grow in us.  Instead of seeking the stillness, it will  be with us as we go.  Such is always true for those who learn to listen for the voice of the Lord in the stillness of silence.  There is something about putting ourselves in the midst of stillness that opens our inner being to a holy silence in which the voice of the Spirit is heard.    

While we may do things to create this external and inner stillness, in reality it can only be known as a gift of grace from the Creator.  All around us the stillness exists.  It is present in the loud sounds that bombard us.  It is is present in the darkness which threatens us.  It is present in the uncertainty that baffles us.  Though nothing may seem to be filled with the silence of stillness, it is always out there for those of us who learn to move toward it despite the circumstances and then allow it to grow in our hearts, enabling us to hear that never silenced holy Voice..