Recognizing the Whisper...

Last night was a perfect night for a fire so I fired up the fire pit and sat out on the deck. It was an exceptionally dark, cool night, which magnified the warm glow of the fire, As I sat there listening to the crickets and scurrying of the night life around me I suddenly felt so close to God. I was just sitting, marveling at His creation, and He seemed so close.
Remembering that feeling this morning it caused me pause, and I wondered why I didn't feel His presence like that all the time, and I immediately knew the answer. Last night I was still, as we are commanded to be in Psalms 46, verse 10; "Be still and know that I am God". When I was still, when I allowed God's presence to be felt, to be known, I was close to Him. It's those times that I get so busy with "life", when I speed from one thing to the next, when my days are a blur- it's those times that God waits patiently for me to be still and experience Him. He doesn't ever stray from me, rather it is I who stray from Him...
I remember the account of Elijah, on the mountain, when God told him his presence was to pass by. Elijah went out and stood and a great and powerful wind tore the mountain and shattered rocks- but the Lord was not in the wind. then There was an earthquake, but the Lord wasn't in the earthquake. Fire followed, but the Lord wasn't in the fire. And last, a gentle whisper, and Elijah pulled his clock over his face as he stood at the mouth of the cave, for God was in the whisper. Elijah heard, and recognized, when he was still before the Lord (1 Kings 19)...   
The thing we don't often hear or remember about that story is when confronted by God Elijah chose to complain to the Lord- to boast of how zealous he was and complain to God how God wasn't holding up his end of the deal. He (Elijah) was all alone! And God responded, telling him to return, for he was not alone, there was a remnant of 7,000 that were faithful to the Lord. Elijah saw his own circumstance, God saw the whole picture. All too often I find myself blinded by my circumstances to appreciate the big picture. I fear that in my rush, my arrogance, and in my inability to be still on a consistent basis I hurt my Heavenly Father... I'm sorry Abba, I'm sorry Father...

Food for thought...