Listening for God

A Reflection on the First Reading for August 9th, 2020:
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

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1 Kings
19.9, 11-13

When Elijah reached Horeb, the mountain of God, he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “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; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.

When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
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Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

This reading provides a very strong illustration of chaos. The vigorous wind, the earthquake, the fire… Elijah is surrounded by utter turmoil. Yet, he sits and waits for the Lord. 

Does the idea of sitting and being still ever make you feel anxious? 

I know that being still can definitely stir up some stress and nervousness in me. In the past few months, a lot of us have been forced to be a little more still than we’re used to. Thinking back to March, when the pandemic really hit Canada, I was forced to be more still than I like to be. As my third year of university moved online and my job no longer offered hours for students, I had much more time on my hands. I no longer spent a couple of hours on the bus every day, or time in the Tim Hortons line. I didn’t have to walk between classes or go to the gym after studying. I was home ALL day, which, as someone who loves to be on the go, is something I’m not the biggest fan of. Having too much time to be still — too much time to think — tends to make me pretty uneasy. Especially with the worries of the pandemic and the stress of doing school remotely, it felt really uncomfortable for me for a long time. As we entered into this time of change, I’m sure a lot of us had these anxious feelings. 

Like Elijah’s story, the chaos around us didn’t stop even when we were forced to be still. It’s important to intentionally take time to be still and silent with God. Although taking time to sit in the silence doesn’t make the chaos or the turmoil go away, the Lord calls us to take time for Him in this way. Psalm 46 says: “Be still, and know that I am God.” 

Being still grounds me. The silence allows me to listen to the Lord and discern His great plans. I pray that I can be like Elijah; resilient through the chaos, listening for God. Be still so that the Lord can be the movement in your life. Amen.




Megan Noye

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