Into the Eye of God - I

I saw Pearl in Hello Dolly
on Broadway in 1969.  What
a treat for a young girl!

People see God every day, they just don't recognize him.  ~Pearl Bailey

Even when I can't see or sense God's presence, I know he is here.  I may need to search my own heart to make sure it isn't me who has moved.  Other times, I need to sit still and just "know" without seeing that I am not alone.  And then, in the quiet I do see God.  Pearl was right, he doesn't always appear in my life like I would expect. Sometimes he is in the "thunder", but just as often he is in the "whisper".

God is....


Michael W. Smith reminds me just how close God is...This is the Air I Breathe

Macrina moves me this morning, right into the center of the storm...Into the Eye of God with a poem. A poem that once again opens and challenges my heart to think broader...bigger about my journey toward God.  She offers me a prayer that I be given a "small storm"!

Sadly, it often takes a small storm to get my attention, so she's right on...again.
Into the Eye of God
For your prayer
your journey into God,
may you be given a small storm
a little hurricane 
named after you,
persistent enough
to get your attention
violent enough
to awaken you to new depths
strong enough
to shake you to the roots
majestic enough
to remind you of your origin:
made of the earth
yet steeped in eternity
frail human dust
yet soaked with infinity.
You begin your storm
under the Eye of God.
A watchful, caring eye
gazes in your direction
as you wrestle
with the life force within.
.
In the midst of these holy winds
In the midst of this divine wrestling
your storm journey
like all hurricanes
leads you into the eye,
Into the Eye of God
where all is calm and quiet.


A stillness beyond imagining!
Into the Eye of God
after the storm
Into the silent, beautiful darkness
Into the Eye of God.


Wow...my first thought is that I don't like this prayer of being sent a storm.  My second, as I look at the quote by Jonathan Lockwood Huie is that I'm not sure I agree, but this guy is supposed to be a motivational speaker on happiness and joy!

Life is a series of "storms" and I admit that when I am feeling vulnerable, I do finally end up on my knees.  During my journaling on The Cup of Life I wondered if old age was a gift from God so that we had an opportunity to once again become humble and vulnerable...

Yet, my hope and my prayer is that as I continue to journey toward God, I live not only in the eye of the storm, but also through the storm itself.

This enough for me to hold for this morning, but I do want to mention that with this chapter, Macrina tells me that she has come to the "heart of this book [A Tree Full of Angels] and that from this point on she is going to offer me a way of gathering up the crumbs, a way of prayer that for her is pure gold...a way to harvest the Word of God.

This way of prayer is not entirely foreign to me.  It is called Lectio Divina or Divine Reading. As I have become more intentional about my faith journey, this form of prayer has crossed my path many times and each time I have paused and moved on.  I notice I have three books on my desk today that all focus on Lectio Divina and with each book, I did not know this was the case when I made the purchase.

Hummm.... I wonder if God is suggesting I do more than simply pause?

Most Amazing God, I believe you do guide my hand at times when I am totally unaware of your doing so.  God, I ask for your Spirit of wisdom, patience, and understanding as I strive to do more than pause with this spiritual discipline. Help me to be open to seeing and hearing what it is that will help me to know you, which will only help me to know myself.  I ask your blessing on my efforts and I pray they will be pleasing to you.  AMEN.


Thinking about storms and the eye of storms, I've thought of the David Crowder Band's song, You Make Everything Glorious .... and all God's people say, "AMEN"!

Many Blessings ~ Sandi