The Whispers of Freedom

“‘I have had enough, LORD,’ he said.  There he went into a cave…The LORD said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by…’ but the LORD was not in the wind…but the LORD was not in the earthquake…but the LORD was not in the fire.  And after the fire came a gentle whisper.  When Elijah heard it…he went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.” 1 Kings 19:4-13.

Those haunting words… ‘I have had enough, Lord!’  I remember a day like none other when my heart groaned these words.  It was the day that my daughter should have been getting ready for her high school graduation.  It was the day that she should have awakened in her bed only to find her dress that I had laid out the night before.  It was the day when she should have come to the breakfast table, finding a beautifully wrapped gift with a special piece of jewelry for a day never to be forgotten.  Well, it actually is a day I will never forget.  As other moms were calling on restaurants for reservations I was calling on God for rescuing.  As her friends were all lining up for the ceremony she was lying down in her drug use.  I remember dreading this day for over 3 years, with the tumultuous journey of her addiction and homelessness marking our days.  I had reverted to my cave trying to avoid everyone in my community.  That day, the very day I had dreaded for so long was a sweet day of whispers...whispers I never expected.

I took a chair and some soft music out on the deck on that sunny day determined I wasn’t staying within the confines of those walls.  As the clock struck the time the graduation ceremony began, it was like the clouds receded and the sweet rays of heaven settled on my face.  I suddenly became aware of the beauty of the skies, and heard the birds in a way never before.  There was a sweet breeze that danced on my face as tears streamed beneath my sunglasses.  God whispered into my heart that day, ‘You are free now.  All of her friends will disperse and go their separate ways.  You will no longer live under the microscopic views of this little community.'  That day I went out and stood at the mouth of my cave and chose life again.  I realized that God was not in the drugs…He was not in the evil…He was not in darkness.  He was in the whispers of light...freedom...future deliverance of my sweet daughter five years later.

Whatever you face this morning please know that when we have had enough…God will be enough!  He will remind you of the good where there is bad, and whisper love and hope into the circumstances that scream fear and despair.  He will surround you with His creation to tend to your soul and give hope in your spirit.  Don’t be afraid to come to the mouth of your cave…God is there and will show you the sweet whispers.

‘Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.’ 2 Cor. 3:17