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Sheer silence



One chilly morning, the power went out before I was awake. I was sleeping with an air purifier and the ceiling fan going, plus the heat. It seems counter intuitive, but I enjoy the airflow from the fan; I digress. The sudden silence from none of those things, which have become seemingly unimportant noises in my room, is what woke me up. It's amazing how loud silence can be sometimes.

 It reminds me of Elijah's story in 1 Kings. In chapter 19, Elijah has fled the town where he had been prophesying because he was afraid he would be killed. He went into the wilderness and fell asleep under a tree, he had a vision, and when he woke up he wandered a bit further and found a cave. He fell asleep there, as well. The word of the Lord came to Elijah and asked him why he was so far from the town. Elijah explained that he felt he had done everything he could and now was afraid for his life. Then, in verses 11-13a:
[God] said, “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; 12and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. 13When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
 Silence is so elusive. When my dog was in the early days of healing from back surgery this summer, she couldn't walk well. I had to hold her in a sling when she needed to take care of business. About 2 weeks in, she just could not sleep. I spent a lot of time taking her to the backyard at 2 AM and 3 AM that week. I noticed, even in the middle of the night, it was not quiet at all. The neighbors' air conditioning units were humming away. I could hear an owl calling. The frogs were singing, and the crickets were chirping. Silence just isn't part of the Earth's usual dealings. When the sheer silence was experienced by Elijah, he took notice. He knew it was God, probably because silence is so unusual.

 Sometimes, it's what isn't heard and what isn't said that seems so very loud. It's so counter to our usual experiences that we just have to take notice. God is counter to what we expect. Love no matter what. Love in the face of hate. Peace in the midst of turmoil. Safety where there is none. Silence in the midst of noise. When something seems counter to all the negative that surrounds you, take notice. Go out and stand in the entrance of the cave, ready to see what God has in store, and hear was she has to say. You might be surprised what you discover in the sheer silence.

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