“And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount
before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong
wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks 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 still small voice.
And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he
wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of
the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou
here, Elijah?”—1 Kings 19: 11
– 13 King James Version
Elijah had a rough time and was despairing and somewhat depressed
with what had been going on around him. There had been a great wind strong
enough to upset mountains. If that wasn’t bad enough an earthquake juggled
things up pretty good. On top of these calamities came a fire. How terrifying
this must have been to behold. God wasn’t in any of these phenomena. Where was
He?
“and
after the fire a still small voice.”
God was indeed present to Elijah. God’s presence here
is like the calm after the storm. The “still small voice” draws our attention
to an intimate communion with God. For this to happen there is to be stillness. Stillness is not the same as silence. “Silence is the prerequisite for inner stillness, and only
inner stillness enables us truly to listen to God, to hear His voice, and to
commune with Him in the depths of our being...” (https://oca.org/reflections/fr.-john-breck/on-silence-and-stillness).
You see, God is not confined to drawing attention to Himself or His
works in a booming manner. He does not have to be loud or overbearing. He
doesn’t have to scream at us. He is gentle and His voice is “small”, a gentle
whisper.
How does this “still small voice” apply to my writing? From my
point of view, God’s still small voice is what I need in my writing. It is a
stillness that calms my fears and builds my confidence. It is this stillness
that allows me to speak healing words into the world through what I write. It
is more than sitting quietly and thinking. Stillness is about truly listening
for God’s voice deep within.
When I was a chaplain in healthcare I knew that if a person was in
pain it was difficult to offer spiritual care to her or him. The pain had to be
managed first. Once the person’s pain subsided I could now come alongside the
person and listen to their story. My role was to be a healing presence so calmness
and stillness were imperative.
I am aware that I am prone to earthquakes or strong winds and even
fire that will disrupt my creativity. One of the storms to assail me has been
spending more time learning about
writing than writing itself. It
is, however, the “fire” of my writing that is more disrupting. This fire is the fear in my writing life.
I am aware that the fire of fear burns up precious energy rather
than using it for writing. It sears through my mind and heart leaving me at
times in ashes. Perhaps I show a lack of faith when I ask myself questions. Who
will read my writing? What if I have nothing worth saying or writing about?
Such flames of fire must be stopped.
I have to go beyond the
fears etc. and calm down, listen and hear that “still small voice.” He has
not left me. I can write! Oh, that still
small voice is gentle, as He keeps me from straying from the writing path
set out before me.
My dear readers and writer friends can you think of anyone who
needs stillness? Is there anyone in your life bombarded by the calamities of
our culture? There is in my life. We speak for that still small voice, the One
who speaks through our writing. How may our writing be a healing presence for
our readers? How will you bring that stillness, that healing into someone’s
life?
Scarredjoy.wordpress.com
Lovely post Alan!
ReplyDeleteThank you Tracy! Thank you so much for your ongoing encouragement. :) We don't seem to be receiving too many comments these days. Thank you for taking the time. :)
ReplyDeleteMy dad watched his brother-in-law, George, polish off a dish of pickled crab apples. Thinking they were sweetened, canned crab apples, George added rich cream. Dad watched in amusement as George absent-mindedly ate it the whole bowlful. When he'd finished, he wiped his mouth with a serviette and said to his wife, "My, that was powerful stuff, Adele."
ReplyDeleteGeorge's pithy comment became part of family folk lore--to be used when something seemed rather ordinary and then it would hit you. Your blog, Alan? "That is powerful stuff."
Your comments are as a balm to me Sharon. Thank you for being such an encourager. :)I appreciate my post fir your "pithy comment." :)
DeleteI need to hear His still small voice if my writing is going to budge out of the slump I've been in for a long time now. I often even think of quitting this blog since I'm not actively writing in any other way. I tend to have lots of storms in my life coming from various directions but the Bible is right that that is not where God is found. I need to seek out a lot more peace so creativity can come back. Best wishes as you also search out His path for your writing.
ReplyDeleteGloria, I encourage you to keep writing. Please don't quit our blog. Keep writing then keep writing again! Ok? Yes, listen to that still small, gentle voice.
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