Friday, June 13, 2014

A Light Silent Sound


By Melanie Rigney

Then the LORD said (to Elijah): Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD; the LORD will pass by. There was a strong and violent wind rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the LORD—but the LORD was not in the wind; after the wind, an earthquake—but the LORD was not in the earthquake; after the earthquake, fire—but the LORD was not in the fire; after the fire, a light silent sound. When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. A voice said to him, Why are you here, Elijah? (1 Kings 19: 11-13)

I long to see your face, O Lord. (Psalms 27:8)

(Jesus said to his disciples:) “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.(Matthew 5:27-30)

Piety
Lord, thank You for the times You bless us with unmistakable signs of Your presence.

Study
Nothing, I could tell you, had worked out as planned. The dream of working for a major news service in New York, the weekend cottage on Cape Cod, filling it up with friends and family in the summer, solo walks on the beach in the winter.

Except that it did. The solo walks happen in quiet Arlington mornings instead of at Provincetown or Chatham, the friends and family come to the large apartment I share with my sister, and it turned out the stability of a government job suited the rest of my life better than the unpredictability of the news business.

Nothing, a woman said at a recent gathering, had worked out as planned. The house full of children, the extended family and friends wandering in and out.

Except that it did. A ragtag band of an adopted child’s friends, some with nowhere else to go, was forming a community and filling up that very house.

Nothing, a friend said in essence, was working out as planned. Eight more years of stirring ministry in a place that spoke to the heart, soul, and mind, snatched away, seemingly capriciously.

Except that it will.

And as a group of us prayed over him for healing and faith and confidence, the light silent sound was overwhelming. It tingled like electricity, steady, humming, stronger than any wind, earthquake, or fire. It was the Holy Spirit coursing through us, the Lord passing by, reminding us all that it always works out as planned and that in our souls, we know the reason we are here.

Action
Consider a major disappointment from five or ten or twenty years ago. How did it bring you closer to Christ? If the matter still is creating a distance, consider speaking with a spiritual adviser about this hurt.

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