In Kings I there is the story of Elijah looking for the Lord to pass by his cave – there’s a fierce wind, but the Lord is not in the wind, then there is an earthquake that shakes the earth, but the Lord isn’t in the earthquake. After the earthquake is a great fire, but the Lord isn’t in the fire. Finally, there is a tiny whispering sound, and Elijah knows that is the Lord passing by.
For the past week, I’ve been trying to hear the whisper mostly by pausing and checking “Am I still breathing?” — in the quiet space that creates, I can sometimes hear the whisper. I can rest there and know that God is present. I discover the I am present in the moment.
What calm, what joy comes from those few seconds of resting in the Presence. It seems to permeate the rest of my day (granted, I’ve been doing this like once an hour for a week as it only takes a few seconds.) It’s a way to hear the music that “How can I keep from Singing?” refers to. It calls me to sing along long after the moment.
The hardest part is remembering to actually pause and listen. So far, it’s been well worth the effort.