Wednesday, February 29, 2012

The tender voice of God

From today's reading: In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, 'Everyone is searching for you.' Mark 1:35-37

Whenever I read from the first chapter of Mark, I always end up focusing on these verses. First, I love the idea of Jesus getting up in the early morning to go out and pray. It provides a pattern for us - early morning prayer - not so much the hour, as being in a place of no distraction. And as I write this, the back door is open and I can hear the birds singing to greet the morning. Distraction - maybe, but I think one of God. It allows my mind to go to the goodness of God that is found inherent in His creation. There are any number of things that often occupy my mind. Quite often the only time my mind gets quiet enough for God to get through is in the early hours of the morning.

The second thing that strikes me is that "everyone is searching for Jesus." I believe that to be true - we are all searching from something in this life - something that is bigger than we are, something that has power where we don't. Ultimately, I believe, we are looking for something that gives our life meaning. Something beyond what we may perceive as our mundane existence. And we are looking for acceptance. As we came from God and are created in his image, our desire is to return to that place from whence we came.

We seek in life to hear the voice of God. Too often we busy ourselves with all kinds of activities, maybe seeking validation through them, but they only serve to block out the voice of God. There is a reason that Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still and know that I am God." It is in the stillness that we hear the tender voice of God as it whispers to us of love and joy and acceptance.

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