Dec 19

Sign of the Times

We spend so much of our time looking for God and wishing for signs that we often miss God here in our midst. We want flashing neon lights with maybe an arrow or two to point the way, when all we really need is the willingness to be still and silent and wait for the Lord to speak. We can look to Elizabeth as a role model. As soon as Mary greeted her, Elizabeth recognized the mother of the Lord standing before her. She needs no messages from angels on high or stars in the sky to guide her, because she is open to the voice of the Spirit and the movement of the mystical right there as her pregnant cousin stands before her in Judah. We may resist this idea, and for good reason — at least on the surface. Elizabeth was touched by God, chosen to bring John the Baptist into the world. Surely we don’t have the same spiritual mojo as Elizabeth, right? We never know how or when God will call us or ask us to carry out a mission we never imagined. The only way we will ever know is to settle down into prayer — regular, deep, silent prayer — and wait for the still, small voice to stir within us and allow the spark of God’s presence to leap to the forefront of our lives.