Sunday, August 13, 2023

How can we hear the voice of God? (Dr. Emily R. John)

   How can we hear the voice of God and be centered in love and renewed in spirit? 

   I am talking about the Speech of God that is paradoxically found in the tiny whispering sound, the whispering that can only be heard when we are quiet. 

   The first moment of silence is to Pay Attention. Pay attention to what is happening around us, and, equally important, pay attention to the restful and rejuvenating quiet space within our hearts and souls. 

   We can focus on the most beautiful gift of our breathing and listen. In these quiet moments, we make ourselves available and totally open to the very ground of our being. Quieting the mind shows us that we are part of the Horizon of God’s love, that the very root of our being lies in God’s loving Being. Our imaginations help us create those God images. 

   In silence with the Being of God, we experience our divine identity as delightfully loved by God, unconditionally and eternally. The truth is that you are a chosen child of God, precious in God’s eyes, called the beloved from all eternity and held safe in an everlasting embrace. Hence, we are renewed and energized again to be sent off to recreate the world. The only way to be “woke” is first to pay attention and then be quiet. 

   Simply pull your thoughts away from the world at least once a day and pay attention to the quiet within. Have the eyes to find the gates of heaven everywhere. Silence helps us see those gates. There is a promise here. 

   That still point, that everyone has within, helps us see that every moment of our lives is reverent. Resting in the love of God not only changes us but also invites us to take on the injustices and systematic oppression in the world. It gives us the spirit and courage to Show Up. 

--Dr. Emily R. John 

Image source: William Brassey Hole, Elijah in the Desert of Horeb, https://cmbs.mennonitebrethren.ca/worship_resources/elijah-and-the-still-small-voice/
Quotation source

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