1 Kgs 19: 9a, 11-16
At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.
When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”
Then the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Standing Before God
Elijah experiences mountain splitting wind, an earthquake and fire. He does not register fear at these intimidating phenomena but wraps his face after encountering a sound of sheer silence. The powerful forces of nature can bring with them terrifying harm and destruction, but these I do not encounter every day. What I find more commonly intimidating in my life and in the lives of those with whom I Iive is the discomfort connected to moments of silence that can give rise to disturbing realizations, along with plentiful opportunities to numb our minds.
Though the message from Scripture is that we are made for loving relationship with our Maker, even if the beauty of this relationship infects our lives with passion, the fact that we cannot control our destinies amplifies the reality of our contingent existence. We stand humbly before a merciful God, whose compassion enables the choice to live in confidence and faith.
—Joseph Lagan is the director of the Ignatian Spirituality Program of Denver.
Prayer
Wait for the Lord; be strong, take courage and wait for the Lord.
—Psalm 27: 14