I love reading about God’s presence in 1 Kings 19:11-12. It reads, “The Lord said to Elijah, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful 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.”
Isn’t it just fascinating to think that God comes in a gentle whisper? Most of our lives are so noisy - bustling with packed schedules, shuffling kiddos around, dinner, work, laundry, dogs, social media, etc. Let’s not forget about the 11th or 12th bug/virus our family picked up this year. All of the things that make it impossible to find a slice of silence, to crack open our Bibles and to saturate our lives in the God given Word. The noise is deafening. Yet, there’s no silence, and when there is, our screens saturate the untouched crevices of our minds.
But God… He waits patiently. He could create the perfect wind storm around us and tear us to pieces, have the the grounds of the earth shake us to wake, or burn us with His wrath and anger over how easily distracted we are. But, He doesn’t. He waits. He whispers. He pursues. He loves. He forgives. He protects. And He continues to wait, while the world blows us in every direction with schedules and bugs; shakes us to our core with loss and grief; and burns us in the day-to-day hurtful interactions we have with others.
It doesn’t have to be like that though. How? We wonder.
Alignment. When we have Christ at the center of our world, those wind storms, earthquakes, and fires that will come seem a lot less fierce. Why? Because we serve a fierce, loving, and gentle God who is patient, kind, and good in ALL circumstances. He knows us. He calls us by name. He sent His Son, Jesus, for each of us. But, it requires us prioritizing alignment with God in our own lives to fully know and gain “... the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, that guards our hearts and minds in Jesus Christ” (Philippians 4:7).
Alignment brings healing. It brings more faith. It brings more love, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and joy. But alignment is also hard as it requires sacrifice. As we move into a new week, can we find more space to align with the One who whispers to our hearts, souls, and minds? What does that look like for you?
I hope you had a good week, friends!
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