Welcome to the Whispering Willow.
I'm Diana,
And this brief morning meditation is centered on encouragement.
Find a comfortable place to settle in as you listen.
I've never been a very heavy sleeper,
But when I had children,
Any sleep I might have been getting disappeared.
I like to say that once you become a mommy,
You never really sleep again.
I think something clicks inside of you that allows you to get the rest you need most of the time,
While still having one ear open to hear anything from a cough in the night to the pitter-patter of little feet coming down the stairs.
I'm sure it's not that way for everyone.
My husband,
For example,
Slept perfectly well through everything from my daughter coming into our room in the night complaining about a nightmare to a hurricane-strength gale.
For me,
Though,
There is a little piece of me that is always aware of the sound in the night,
The still whispers.
Even now,
When my grown children are visiting or my granddaughter is spending the night,
A part of me is always awake,
Vigilant,
And listening.
1 Kings 19,
11-13 says,
The wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord,
But the Lord was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake,
But the Lord was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake came a fire,
But the Lord was not in the fire.
And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
When Elijah heard it,
He pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood in the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him,
What are you doing here,
Elijah?
I've always found this story to be so interesting.
In the midst of a really down moment for Elijah,
God decides he could use a little moral support.
And what better support could there be,
Really,
Than a visit from God?
God brought Elijah his presence,
But first to show where he was not.
He was not in the wind,
He was not in the earthquake,
He was not in the fire.
Imagine how much of a contrast the gentle whisper,
Sometimes referred to as a still small voice,
Must have been in comparison to the previous manifestations.
God knew exactly what Elijah needed,
A personal encounter with God.
There was nothing at this time that was fundamentally wrong with Elijah's theology,
But there was something lacking in his experience.
We all tend to look for God in dramatic expressions.
Sometimes,
Though,
We can only encounter God properly in less dramatic surroundings.
Do you need encouragement today?
Before you go about your day,
Take a few moments to reflect on the last time something very small and unexpected made you feel God's presence.
Today,
Try looking for God in small places and see what you find.
May you feel the presence of the Lord as you go through your day today.
