"a small voice..."

"a thousand prayers,
a million words,
but one Voice
was heard..."

Almost 20 years ago the video for Billy Gilman's "One Voice," was released. I remembered it this morning in light of this week's Bible lesson.

What has stood out to me -- from all the wonderful ideas and stories -- is one word: small. Specifically as it is used in this familiar Scripture from I Kings:

"And =, behold, the Lord passed by,
and a great and strong wind rent the mountains,
and brake in oyes the rocks before the Lord;
but the Lord was not in the wind.

And after the wind, an earthquake;
but the Lord was not in the earthquake.

And after the earthquake, a fire;
but the Lord was not in the fire.

And after the fire,
a still small voice..."

I've often thought about the stillness of the Voice of God. The quiet invariability. The nevertheless-ness of its comforting presence. The constancy of its calm assurance.

But I had never really thought of what it meant, that the Voice was small. I went to Strong's Hebrew Lexicon and found this definition of the word "small" as it relates to this specific passage:

"lean, fine,
nothing extraneous
simple, gaunt..."

I held my breath. Isn't this what I have been learning for the past decade -- and especially in the last year? The simplicity of the Christ message. The piercing clarity of Truth. Nothing extraneous. No exaggeration. The smallness of "the still small Voice..."

I immediately thought back to every healing I have experienced and witnessed of late. What did they have in common: the lean-ness of the Truth. The simple shape of The Word -- free of words. The raw childlike wonder of honest hearts.

This Truth is unencumbered by "more than enough," - because in its simple Allness, it is always infinite. Or as Mary Baker Eddy assures us:

"The Scriptures plainly declare
the allness and oneness of God
to be the premises of Truth..."

"God is one.
The allness of Deity
is His oneness."

So, I went back to sifting through all the mental chatter -- the human mind's thinking about God -- to what I know at the very root-of-the-root of my being. And it was that very word. Being.  I AM.

I started there. Not just in listening for spiritual guidance about my own experience, but in relation to those who had asked for treatment -- as well as, those whom my thoughts and prayers natural rested upon within the all-inclusiveness of spiritual community and care.

"I am." This statement of spiritual fact suffuses every molecule of conscious being.  It is constantly repeating itself to each of us.  This Truth is affirming the presence of God. I AM (the only name God give Himself in Scripture) over and over again throughout the day - and night.

In the morning, I wake to, "I am..." And as I close my eyes, I rest my day upon, "I am..." I trust that what follows that opening coda of Truth, is also spoken by the same Voice. I am whole. I am loved. I am loving. I am honest. I am able to "listen for Thy Voice, lest my footsteps stray..."

It is echoing still in the hearts and minds of individual and collective consciousness.

And one Voice was heard...


offered with Love,

Cate