It has been a weekend! There is so much going on – personally, locally, nationally. In the weather, in the news, in sports. Nine inches of snow, meant we had to shovel three times to clear our driveway, but we were blessed with no power outages.
Today I sat for a few minutes, after the third pass at shoveling and marveled at the blanket of snow glistening in the sun. Still perfect, not a footprint, hoof print or other animal track upon it. A breath of fresh air. A vision of purity. All of the mud, dirt and weeds that typically make up our yard, covered with light, soft and sparkling clean, white snow.
Tonight, I realized that I missed the moment to listen. I was too busy marveling and enjoying the view to thank God and listen. I felt a nudge and read part of the first book of Kings:
Then the LORD said: 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 [a still small voice].
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
There is so much in this. First, what a blessing to stand before the Lord, but my knees are shaking just thinking about it. Second, the recognition that so much happens around us — a strong, violent wind, an earthquake, a fire — it is not hard to see the parallels in our daily life. But waiting for us through it all is God — a still small voice, a light silent sound. He is not making a big noise, He is not smacking us across the face, He is not forcing us to pay attention to Him, but He is there, waiting for us to listen. Waiting for us to choose Him. I have heard the phrase “a still small voice” before, but not sure I had ever paid attention to the passage that it came from. And now I really just want to soak it all in.
But before I can do that, what struck me even more was the next verse: Why are you here? That really is the question, isn’t it? I really need to sit and listen a bit more, but WOW, I feel like my heart has just been washed clean with its own blanket of snow, its own fresh canvas, waiting for me to make new tracks.
Lord,
Thank you for the beautiful, cleansing and purifying snowfall. Thank you for being there through the strong violent winds, the earthquakes and the fires, always waiting for us. Thank you for the guidance you provide when we listen.
I am ready to sit still. I am ready to shake off all of the troubles around me. I am ready to listen. Create in me a clean heart, wiped clean with the cold, refreshing, pure snow. Clear my previous tracks like you have with the snow, guide my new tracks in the right direction. Help me to always know, why I am here.
Sufficient Grace 