Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“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; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.”
NL Daily Devotion for Friday, November 10, 2023
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Sheer silence. I wonder how many of us have actually experienced this. Even at my cabin, there is the hum of the refrigerator, the rumble of passing boats, or the obnoxious roaring of jet skis. In Timeline, by Michael Chrichton, the first thing the people who go back in time to the medieval period notice is the utter lack of sound. Our modern lives are a constant din, whether it’s the quiet sound of appliances, the constant hissing of traffic, the incessant sound of conversation or media voices on phones, television, computers, or other technology. We often seek answers in those myriad voices, looking for people to tell us what to do in order to be happy, to get what we want, to “live our best lives.” I hate to break it to you, but those answers are not to be found in the din of our human society. They are to be found only in the sheer silence of communion with God.
God comes to us in unexpected ways, breaking through the wall of sound, surprising us with simplicity and grace. God meets us in the midst of our frustration and pain, our despair and despondency, and offers us a different path. Are we listening for God in the cacophony of mass media? Or are we willing to disconnect and know that the things that satisfy are not to be found on TikTok or Facebook or CNN?
Where do I look for solutions when I am unsatisfied with life and circumstances?
![Jonah 1:1-17; 3:1-10 [4:1-11], Jonah and God’s Mercy](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56b39b61ab48de92d991a40a/6bbb490e-4992-4659-a8be-02d8397d68af/24-11-10.jpg)
