Profound love

Jo Penn August 11, 2026 2 1

Playlists

Add to Favourites

Save for later

Listen to this daily worship

1 Kings 19: 9-18 (NIV-UK)

9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.

And the word of the Lord came to him: ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’

10 He replied, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.’

11 The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’

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. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’

14 He replied, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.’

15 The Lord said to him, ‘Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel – all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.’

I first visited the monastic Taizé Community in France in the year 2000, travelling there with a friend who had visited previously. Her heart was for a week in silence, so I also opted for this – how hard could it be? Yet, even with the structure of the day – its meals, prayers and services – and the Bible morning input, with questions given to ponder and pray into, it was a deeply uncomfortable experience for me.

In the discipline of not talking all my internal noise erupted — layers of concerns, injustice and anxiety were exposed. It took sheer determination to carry on — to treat it like a thing to be endured. Yet by day four the anxieties had released enough to bring me towards a place of deep silence, trust and peace. I refer to this process as a ‘spiritual spring clean’.

In today’s Bible passage, Elijah arrives at the cave scared for his life despite recently seeing the spectacular action of God in sending fire from the sky to fall on his soggy sacrifice at his face-off with the prophets of Baal.

God does not berate Elijah for being scared – twice asking him ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’

God invites dialogue, drawing out from Elijah personal reflection and expression of emotions. God then invites movement towards the mouth of the cave to teach him more about God’s power and strength.

The sound of silence is more profound than the power of the wind and earthquake, and it is to the silence that Elijah responds, moving out of his hiding place into the wide space of the mountain. God’s profound and invitational love is bigger than Elijah’s fear. This love enables Elijah to trust once more and receive a new commission to anoint people for a God-promised future of the nation.

Prayer for meeting God in silence (acrostic):

Shelter me God, when the storm is raging.

Inquire of my heart when I feel overwhelmed.

Let me protest, rail and pour out my anger.

Eager to listen to Your precious child:

Never abandoned to hopeless confusion.

Call out my name, and remind me I am Yours.

Ever my helper, my loving protector.

Speak in the silence Your profound love.