Dear Friends,
…and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn’t in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper.
1 Kings 19:11,12 (MSG)
In this letter I am inviting you to listen to God and to take heed of His directions about your life. It is easy to get wrapped up in what we want, especially because our culture tells us that we should always be happy, that we’re in charge of our own happiness, and that we hold the key to it. And when we are living in times such as this: Covid 19 and lock down, do we hear God’s voice?
One of my favourite hymns is “Master speak Thy servant heareth…” and it is number 536 from Hymn & Psalms/ 666 from Singing the Faith. The first stanza goes as follows:
Master Speak, Thy servant Heareth
Frances Ridley Havergal (1836-79).
Waiting for thy gracious word,
Longing for thy voice that cheereth;
Master, let it now be heard.
I am listening, Lord for thee;
What hast thou to say to me?
This hymn spoke to my heart and reminded me about those times and places when our hearts yearn to hear God’s voice. The story in 1 Kings tells us about Elijah after he defeated the prophets of Baal. He seeks rest and some time with the Lord. He is feeling lost and alone, and he needs to hear from God. The Lord sends Elijah to the mountain to stand in His presence. The story then goes on to say a great and strong wind tore through the mountains, but the Lord was not in the wind. An earthquake came, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. A fire burned across the land, but the Lord was not in the fire.
But after the fire a gentle whisper followed. The Lord came to Elijah in that whisper. It is the kind of voice you can only hear when you quiet the world around you enough to hear it. You have to be listening for it. Open your heart to the prompting of the Spirit in order to hear God’s voice that whispers ‘PEACE’ in the storm.
Listen in silence because if your heart is full of other things you cannot hear the voice of God.
Mother Teresa
Your Friend & Minister,
Revd. Adam Nyawo