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.
No comments:
Post a Comment