By Judy Villanueva

1 Kings 19:9-13
And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

The Lord said, “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. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

My grandmother was one of my best friends. Before she died at age 98, she and I use to spend one day a week together. We would run errands to the egg store, the nursery, and often, to find a good banana split! Nana loved watching soap operas and it always made me smile that she would talk through practically her entire show, sneak in a snooze, and then talk a little more! I loved the sound of her voice, the sparkle in her dark, brown eyes, and learning about joy from being with her. I miss the experience of being drawn into a place of slowing just by being in her company.

How do we honor a pattern of slowing in our days so that we are ready when God passes by? Can it be done “on the way” to this and that with our hands full of life?

Take a deep breath—exhale. Do it again…slowly. It’s an easy way to pause and take in the peace of a moment slowed. It feels good! It poises us to find our souls, if we care to. The challenge of slowing down is that the things we try to stay ahead of…like, guilt, worry, pain, loneliness, boredom, fear…catch up with us!  Conversely, the blessedness of slowing is that we come into fuller contact with all of the joys set before us, like the sparkle in a loved ones eyes, lessons hidden in simple presence…and, the voice of God in a whisper.

God delights with us in our doing but, without the habit of slowing, we risk becoming overly tired, overwhelmed, and unfocused. Worse, we may miss God as He passes by in our day. He does, you know, pass by every day!

Elijah had been through a battle! He had just taken a stand against the false prophets of Baal and witnessed the fire of God bring a supreme defeat upon their heads!  When he  finally arrived on Mount Horeb he was utterly depleted and had completely lost perspective.  God listened. He knew what Elijah needed and invited him to come, stand in His presence.  He invites us as well, to step out from our doing  each day and fully experience moments of His passing by.  Deep breath.  After the wind, fire, and earthquake, Elijah finally heard God’s gentle whisper, covered his face and began to recover.

That’s what slowing does! It helps us hear God’s voice apart from the distractions and noise of life!  It awakens us to One Who is with us…

To the  One who passes by with light for our paths, healing for our souls, strength for our callings, and love to remind us that we are not alone.

“Father, I thank You that You know your children well and that You keep track of us in the battles, in the deserts, and on the mountain tops. Help me to hear Your gentle whispers that call me to attention. Lead me into slowing places where I can let go of my hurry and not miss when You pass by!  Amen.”

What About You?

How often do you slow down?

Are you comfortable with quiet and stillness?

What helps you slow down?

Take time to slow and listen for God’s gentle whisper.

Click here to buy Listening for Love Kindle Edition

Worship

The Fear of the Lord by Tommy Walker