Hope on the Outside: Thursday
Thursday March 25, 2021
Created by Jennie White
1 Kings 19:11–13 (NIV)
“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; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. 13 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?’”
Devotion
One of my favorite places in the world is the camp I worked at for a year and a half. I like to go back and hammock whenever I am feeling drained. I listen to the sounds of nature and like to just be present. It is a place that helped me discern my call. I like to experience God through nature. Whenever I go back, I like to listen to God and hear what God is trying to tell me in that moment. I hike the trails and listen to the silence that surrounds me. I like to recognize and remember that God surrounds me, even in the quiet moments. Even when I am not in my favorite place.
Life is and can be draining at times, and hope can seem to be dwindling. There are places that remind us of the journey we have taken and where we have been by God. In the scripture, Elijah experiences God in ways that we would not consider. He does not experience God in the active moments of the wind, earthquake, or fire but in the quiet silence that follows. Elijah lets himself to sit and experience God in the silence of nature.
Today, I encourage you to think of a place that is sacred to you and reminds you of where you have been and the hope you carried from there. If you can, visit and listen for God or gather pictures of that place to remind you of it.
Prayer
Good and gracious God, help us to find hope in this weary season. Amen.
