God, Where are You?

~~~Memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua~~~

 ~~~Priest and Doctor of the Church~~~

~~~ 1 Kings 19:9A, 11-16 ~~~ Psalm 27 ~~~ Matthew 5:27-32 ~~~

At the mountain of God, Horeb,

Elijah came to a cave, where he took shelter.

But the word of the LORD came to him,

“Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD;

the LORD will be passing by.”

A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains

and crushing 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 there was fire—

but the LORD was not in the fire.

After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.

When he heard this,

Elijah hid his face in his cloak

and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.

A tiny whisper causes Elijah to hide his face in his cloak.

Why?

Sometimes God is not where we expect him to be.

Sometimes he is not where we thought he would be.

Sometimes he is not where we want him to be.

Many times he surprises us with where he turns up;

like in today's reading from 1 Kings.

God is in the whisper, not the wind, earthquake, or fire.

Certainly God could have been in any 

of those three powerful images, but he chose the whisper.

Maybe Elijah covered his face because he was embarrassed;

he was looking for God in the wrong places. 

Maybe he covered his face because he realized just how close

 he came to completely missing the presence of God.

God does not need to reveal himself through power and might.

God can reveal himself in quiet subtle ways.

Does God live up to your expectations of him?

Have you ever felt like covering your face 

after noticing the presence of God?

God sees Elijah and calls out to him,

just as he called out to Adam and Eve in the garden...

just as he calls out to us when we go into hiding.

God spoke to Elijah and calmed his fears.

God delivered him from his enemies with only a whisper.

God did knock Saul from his horse to get his attention,

but he speaks to Elijah in a soft gentle whisper.

Dear Lord, bless me with the desire
 to cherish the times your presence is but a whisper in my soul.
~~~Peace~~~