The Sound of Thinnest Silence

View of Jezreel Valley from Mount Carmel

 I have always loved the story of Eliyahu facing the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Amending that statement: I love all of the stories of Eliyahu, though I don’t read them often enough. But Eliyahu facing the prophets is a famous one, one that even my younger brothers are familiar with.

Taken at Dan, where the headwaters of the Jordan River are

Perhaps my favorite part was when Eliyahu prayed a simple prayer for the Lord to show Himself to be Lord of all, and have Him respond with fire. But now I have some new favorites to the story. I really love how Eliyahu had the people be involved in this healing of them and of the land – he asked them to fill jars of water in the midst of a three-year drought, and tote them up the mountain to pour over the burnt offering. What faith he required of them! And yet, it was necessary. A doctor is part of the healing process, to be sure, but the sick person must admit that they are sick, and step forward in faith that they will be healed, no matter what kinds of things they may have to do to be well. In the same way did the people have to step forward in faith in order to be healed.

And even before that, they had no idea that they were sick! When Eliyahu told the people to follow either Baal or Adonai, the people did not answer. They didn’t even know who they were supposed to worship! How horrible would it be to be so far gone to not even know which god was true! And yet, Eliyahu prayed to the Lord, and He brought the fire, and the people fell on their knees and believed.

Yet, after this amazing act of power, Eliyahu surely felt confused because Adonai revealed himself in the same way that Baal would have. He ran back to the place where he was last sure of it all, and threw himself before the Lord. “I am zealous for you, my Lord!” he cried, “but I am the only one left, and my enemies pursue me!”

Two men praying at the top of the Cliffs of Arbel

Then the Lord brought His presence near to Eliyahu not in the mighty fire nor in the wind, nor in the earthquake, but “in the sound of thinnest silence.” He can do great things to be sure, but he is not Baal. He is not in the fire nor the wind nor the earthquake. He is present in the beauty of still, sweet silence.

“Be still and know that He is Adonai,” the Psalmist writes. Be still. Be silent, and be still.

Several days after talking about the Lord being present in “the sound of thinnest silence,” I sat back at the top of the Cliffs of Arbel and waited for everyone to pass through the cliffs in front of me so that I could stop and enjoy the silence. And the silence was breathtakingly amazing. I had to be absolutely still in order to hear the silence, but the silence was glorious. I wish I had sat there longer, just drinking in the silence, because I don’t feel like I could have enough of it.

The Cliffs of Arbel, from where I sat to enjoy the silence

In a world of constant noise, music, and voices, pure silence is hard to find. This is difficult in the physical sense, which is what made that moment on the top of the Cliffs of Arbel so glorious, but also in the spiritual sense. Few people know how to quiet their souls to listen to the Lord speak, but that is when we can hear Him best – when we listen for the sound of thinnest silence.