Elijah in a cave

When Elijah was in trouble and his head was filled with fears and all kinds of thoughts, he went and hid in a cave. There were all kinds of noises – mighty winds, an earthquake, a fire, but when there was the quiet of a gentle breeze, he stood in the mouth of the cave and listened. Then God gave him directions as to what to do next. 1 Kings 19:9 ff

I like the image of a cave ever since I went to Niagara Falls and stood in the cave behind the falls pouring down endlessly.

If we look at our process of thinking as a waterfall, a continual cascading of thoughts, then meditation is like going into the cave behind the waterfalls. Behind the endless stream of thoughts. We may see the cascade of thoughts, but we are out of the torrent for a while. Or maybe we feel ourselves immersed in mighty winds or aa earthquake or even a fire. Then if we to the cave of inner silence, we will hear the gentle breeze of God’s word to us.

IN Christian Meditation we sit quietly, let go of all out thoughts by simply repeating a prayer word and coming back to our prayer word or phrase gently when we realize we are thinking again. While we meditate we are just letting God act in our hearts and minds as God wills, for God loves us so much. God wants to change our hearts so that we more fully respond to God’s immense love for us. This is something we cannot do for ourselves.

So when we are feeling out of sync, dissatisfied, restless, distressed, we don’t look at our thoughts, we just go to our cave. We meditate. God teaches us quietly, secretly, without our knowing how, without our help, without words, in mystery. We enter a knowing without knowing. God’s love for us is hidden in silence. Perhaps so that we may long for God more intensely or with the patient waiting of faith, until the day dawns when we see God face to face.

Here is a great reading from the Letter to the Ephesians 1:17-19..
I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.