Staying centered through the storm

The Ejyafjallajokull Volcano in Iceland

"Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart 

and shattered the 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 came a fire,

but the Lord was not in the fire.  

And after the fire, came a gentle whisper ..."  

1Kings 19:11-12

The storms of our lives, the large and small dramas that have captivated our minds, lives and imagination, spin around us like a galactic windstorm.  I find that I, and many of you, am literally at the mercy of everything.  In fact, the subtle forces of the voices from my world, gnaw away at my self confidence, attempting to drag me back into the wide raging rivers of our times.  Yet, I resist.  Some days I resist with everything in me, but I resist.

The quote above is one of my favorite stories of Elijah who had been hunted (and spared by God's interaction) by the religious leaders of his time.  For a moment, it seems God's power is displayed before him.  I can't even imagine what his life might have been like, nor can I imagine standing in a large opening of a cave and witnessing some of Mother Nature's most terrifying powers.  Yet he stood there, watching the rocks of the mountain being ripped loose by the tempest, fearsome and threatening the prophet, who stood there, wrapped in his cloak, waiting for God.  And, as if the wind storm wasn't enough, the earth shook violently as an earthquake split the Earth, threatening to topple the entire mountain he stood on, and then an unquiet fire storm followed, perhaps ignited by the winds over the dry desert.  And, he stood there, unmoved, very awake and very aware, perhaps listening, perhaps wondering, yet unafraid.  He had passed the test, and then God said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" And, Elijah shared his plight, his love of God and his concern that the religious leaders were trying to kill him.

Elijah reminds me that our lives are very precarious.  We are fragile beings.  Sometimes I am amazed that we survive childhood and adolescence to even grow up and survive the huge demands our culture places on us in which we could get swept up in the consequent stress, worry and fears. The image of him standing high up at the opening of the cave as the storm threatens him attempting to rattle his own inner calm is iconic.  It reminds me of another powerful image, one of Jesus in the desert being tempted by the devil.   But, heroically and courageously stand tall, fearless and centered in God, unmoved by whatever spins around them tempting them into a lower level of chaotic fear.

It seems that Elijah's certainty, his sure footed faith well beyond ordinary wishful-thinking faith, is a faith that comes with a kind of inner knowing. He, as a child of God, is like God and is in the whisper, the eternal presence of beinghood.  While clearly he would not want to die, death itself doesn't frighten him. So the power of the storms that wracked his mountain watch did not deter his centered calm with in, a whispery calm. 

All of us are sometimes faced with uncertainty in life.  I have found that as I release the false certainty and temporary comfort of my past to embrace a new life, one which I have no control over, I have no choice but to turn to the only one who can catch me if I fall. I am left with only one thing and that is the certainty that God is with me and God will provide.  God will provide everything I need in this life.  Like a mantra, I find myself repeating as i walk or in the car, "God will provide. God will light my path."  As I step into this strong, intentional awareness at the opening of the cave of my life and watch the storms pass by, I remind myself over and over again, "God will provide.  God will light my path."

And that is a choice - either to give in to the temptation to give into fear or breathe deeply, release any rising tension, and choose deliberately to stay calm, unmoved.  In a fearsome state, would I hear God's whisper?  Fear seems to breed chaos.  So, we all have only one choice in these uncertain times.  We can choose to stay centered, rooted, in our own spiritual center, remind ourselves and remind each other, that God will speak, God will deliver us.  Each  one of us - all 6.8 billion one of us is known intimately to God.  Each one of us can find that calm deep within our minds and hearts, to which we can choose to cling and hold onto no matter what happens around us.

In the end, Elijah was spared.  The religious leaders did not kill him, unlike many other prophets throughout the ages.

His wisdom continues to guide me today.  I can also watch the tempests, earthquakes, raging fires, and political and economic storms, and stay calm, not give in to the temptation of fear, worry, tears or anger.  We all can choose to release our attempt to control everything and stay calm, listen for God's whisper.  We can choose to hang in there in peace, and perhaps, even in joy.