Sights and Sounds of Silence...the Wayfarer 2/8/18

Sights and Sounds of Silence

1 Kings 19:11-12 King James Version (KJV)

¹¹ 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:

¹² And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

Elijah, having escaped, having sought refuge in the desert mountains as he was told by God to do, left the cities and their populace, left the sights and sounds that accompany them, in order to hear the voice of God, to discern the will of God, to prepare for whatever that will held in store for him and his people.

With the hubbub and chaos of the city behind him, he searched for that voice, a voice that did not come with the sound of the wind, the sight of that wind' s ferocity, nor did it come with shaking of the earth beneath his feet as the earthquake around him made its presence known. 

The fire that roared as it consumed so much around him still did not contain that voice.

Only after putting all of these out of the way was that still small voice to be heard, the voice so diligently sought, so desperately needed both by that old prophet and by the people to whom he was sent.

Silence was required in order to hear, a silence that had to be sought as well, a silence that dwelled deep within despite the fury and sound surrounding him.

The world today becomes ever more discordant, ever more cacophonous, ever more filled with the constant distraction that intentionally attempts to quash that stillness and silence needed by Elijah, and more importantly needed by those in search of that same voice sought by him.

The sirens, sounding in the city as they pass, the whistle of the train that accompanies the rumble of the engines that pull that train, the voices of the populace passing by raised in anger, or murmuring unintelligibly, the drifting sounds of "concerts" that fill the air bidding those hearing them to come hear more, the horns honking their announcement of disfavor of the discourteous behavior, the sound of plows scraping the pavement to provide a path for those on their way to whatever destination, all distract and announce their own importance to whoever will listen for them, providing a measure of comfort to those who have grown accustomed to those sounds and sights surrounding them that give false representation of life, temporary, tumultuous, and timorous at best.

The sounds to be heard far from that hubbub, sounds of the chirping crickets, the barking squirrels, the birds that give voice to the glory of their creation, the distant lonely call of the fauna that inhabit the uninhabited places still not paved over, the sight of the sun rising over a pristine ridge line rather than the sky scape of buildings and monuments to men, provide a different measure of comfort for those seeking the escape that was needed by Elijah, but these too provide only a path to the stillness and silence of soul needed to hear the voice sought by him, still being sought by the few able to recognize that voice once heard.

That voice still speaks, still may be heard despite the distraction, but only if diligently sought, diligently heard, and diligently heeded.

Matthew 11:28 King James Version (KJV)

²⁸ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Rest from the labor comes only with the labor required in finding that rest, a labor that requires an often, and complete submission, to the voice that provides it.

If that labor is to be completed, it must be begun in the silence that allows for its completion, unhampered by the distraction that must first be overcome.

2 Timothy 1:12 KJV

¹²For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Amen and Amen

the Wayfarer