Shouts and whispers

Lord God, Holy One.
We open Your Word,
and hear
the shouts and whispers
of Your Presence.

The magnificent shout
at Creation
as You speak
and the universe
comes into being.

The whisper to Abraham,
calling him to
a place he does not know
and a lifetime of tent-dwelling.

The groans of the Israelites
in their slavery
and the answer of I AM,
thundering through
to Pharaoh:
“Let my people go!”

One day, there’s a powerful wind
and earthquake
and fire.
But after these,
Elijah hears the gentle whisper,
the still, small voice
–and it is You.

The whispers of Your Son
echo through the Law
and the Prophets
and the Poetry—
revealing the Suffering Servant,
the Promised One,
the Messiah,
the Prince of Peace.

Then.
Silence.
Four hundred years of silence.

One starry night in history,
there is the whisper
of a mother’s prayers
from a stable
and the shout
of the angelic announcement
to shepherds
in fields nearby.

“The Word became flesh
and dwelt among us…
full of grace and truth.”
He walks this earth.
His voice speaks,
shouts,
heals
and calms a raging sea.

One Friday He shouts
the awful cry
from a cruel cross.
Your forsaken Son,
the spotless Lamb,
dying for our sins.
The sins of the world.

Then.
Silence.
A seemingly unending Sabbath day of silence.
And sorrow.

On Sunday
the whispers of grief
turn to shouts of joy!
“HE IS ALIVE! 
HE IS ALIVE!”
The Resurrected Savior. 

This changes everything.

Lord God,
we seek You in Your Word
and find You shouting
Your power
and Your Presence.
Speaking a love beyond our imaginings.
Calling us to life-giving repentance and obedience.
Drawing us into the quiet place
where we can hear
Your whispers.

O praise the name of the Lord our God. For all eternity.

“The Lord thundered from heaven; the Most High made His voice heard.”
(Psalm 18:13)

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