Take a deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. Be present in this moment, clear your mind of all the things you need to do today. Deep breath in, deep breath out.
Four friends challenged me to 30 days of yoga; initially we agreed to do it as a form of exercise, a dedication to increasing strength and decreasing stress. An accountability group for getting back into the practice of self-care. But somewhere along the way it became spiritual-care.
It is unnatural in this age of constant entertainment, continual commotion, to sit for long periods of time with nothing but the sound of our own breath. You see, we have lost the art of stillness.
As I finish up my daily practice, my phone buzzes next to me. An update on my niece's heart surgery flashes across the screen.
Instantly I can feel the anxiety rise up in my chest like a tiger clawing at the bars of a cage. Fear of more loss, fear of the unknown, fear of the what ifs. Please God, I can't endure any more.
The surgery feels like a hurricane ripping through my life, shattering the peace. My first instinct is to try and distract myself from the fear, drown out the anxiety with a million chores and television episodes. It is always easier to seek diversion rather than the divine.
But dear heart - there will be no answer, no comfort, no assurance in the clamorous voices of the age. They may address the mind but they will never address the spirit.
I think about Elijah on the side of the mountain, looking for answers from God in a hurricane, an earthquake, a fire. Hoping to hear a thunderous response from heaven. Hoping it will be unmissable, unmistakable. But all too often I find, as Elijah did, that God is not in the habit of yelling, of fighting to be heard over the raucous of our lives.
“A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn’t to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn’t in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn’t in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper.”
So the question begs to be asked: How can we hear the gentle whisper of God when the roar of life is so loud? When there are literal hurricanes, earthquakes and fires; when there are mass shootings, cancer and baby's who don't get the chance to grow up; when there is an epidemic of pornography, sex trafficking, and abuse; when social media, cell phones, and the internet keep us always occupied. Tell me, how then do we hear the whisper of God?
In scripture it says that Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed (Luke 5:16). That he made an intentional choice to be alone, to be silent, to listen to his Father. And maybe thats the part of prayer that we often forget: its a two-way conversation. And this is what He asks of us - "to be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10)
Do you find yourself in my position, in Elijah's position, today? Desperate for an answer from God, for comfort, for freedom from anxiety and fear? Are you in the midst of a chaotic life storm that feels like it is drowning out everything else, including the voice of God? Does your path forward feel unclear and unsure?
For what its worth, here are words from my heart to yours:
Stop seeking distraction. Seek stillness.
Stop breathing in diversion. Breathe in the divine presence of God.
Stop exhaling worries. Exhale the truth.
Stop talking. Start listening.
“The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”