The beautiful notes of life often crescendo ever so slightly over time to become a cacophony. This happens before you know it. Recently our mission path has been filled with many melodious tunes. We were honored to speak at Alliance First Church in Northeast Ohio, then back home for a few days filled with phone calls, emails and book editing, then back to Northeast Ohio, then back to preach at the Kettering First Church of God, then back home for a few days of phone calls, emails and meetings, then to the Ohio general assembly, then to Middletown, then to Cincinnati, then to speak at the Dupont First church of God in Northwest Ohio, then back home for a few days of phone calls and emails. And if that run on sentence seemed long, so did living it! In addition to the many high notes on our mission path there was the normal melody of a family of six. Ballet practice, homeschooling, weddings, dinner with friends, an hour at the park just to name a few. The path sometimes gets long and noisy along the way but there is a reprieve, a quiet time, a time to be still and listen to the “melodious sonnet sung by flaming tongues above.”
One early morning as I watched the sun rise through the window of my car I had one of those quiet times. I was reminded of a familiar scripture.
The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord. Look, the Lord is ready to pass by.”
A very powerful wind went before the Lord, digging into the mountain and causing landslides, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the windstorm there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a soft whisper. When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his robe and went out and stood at the entrance to the cave. All of a sudden a voice asked him, “Why are you here, Elijah?”
-1 Kings 19:11-13 New English Translation (NET Bible)
The rush and roar of a whirlwind is powerful and can move many obstacles it its way. The raw power of an Earthquake fundamentally reshapes the face of the ground. The crackling of a fire purifies and destroys. But somehow in the cacophony of life the still small voice restores. I am honored to experience the whirlwind, earthquake and fire but I am privileged to know the answer to the question that is asked of me in God’s soft whisper. Why are you here?
I am here because I have heard the sound that recognized the pain in me, “I let the melody shine, let it cleanse my mind, I feel free now.” I heard a voice that know me better than I know myself. I heard a anthem that addressed the the question of origin, morality, meaning and destiny. I have heard the only song that makes sense. Now I am compelled to share it.
Please continue to pray for our family as we enjoy the mission path before us and as we build our living link network of supporting partners. We will continue to pray for you. Let’s together seek to hear the soft whisper of God in contrast to the clamor of our lives.
In His Grip, Timothy
Check out a recent video of Esperanza getting a little board along the way.
*note that no songs were harmed in the writing of this post but both, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing and Bittersweet Symphony were quoted.
