The Sound of Sheer Silence

At worship this morning at Zumbro Lutheran Church in Rochester, Pastor Vern gave an excellent sermon entitled "The Darkness of Depression." It will be available here on their website at some point, and when it is, I commend it to you. Very real, honest, and comforting. He wove in 1 Kings 19, 1-16, 18. It's the story of Elijah and his experience of deep sadness. I'm not going to comment any further on that sermon or its contents because I want you to read it for yourself somewhere along the way.

Instead, I want to mention another part of that Old Testament lesson. In it, Elijah prepares to meet with God. The text says,

"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." 

After that, he and God have a small chat.

A sound of sheer silence. Those are the words that keep rolling around in my spirit. Sheer silence. Utter, complete, indescribable silence. I don't think of silence of having a sound. But I guess...the absence of sound IS its own sound. And God was in the silence.

This week, I will seek God in the silence. Not in words. Not in tasks. Not in voices. Not in speaking. Not in sermons. Not in grapefruits. I think God is certainly in all those places, too. I love finding God in all those places.

But this week...at least for awhile...I will seek God in the silence. And hopefully, like Elijah, I, too, can have a small chat with my Creator.

PS: Monday's post will come in the evening. I want to set aside ample time to review Marketa Irglova's amazing album!