A Key to the Kingdom

In I Kings 19 we read that Elijah took refuge in a cave on Mt. Horeb, his life being sought by Queen Jezebel after he destroyed the prophets of Baal. In the cave, Elijah lamented that the people of Israel forsook their covenant with God. He felt alone and depressed.

God called to Elijah, telling him to come out of the cave and "stand on the mountain before the Lord." God wanted to make a connection with Elijah, but knew that Elijah had to be in the right place mentally, before that would happen. God will continually call to us, too, regardless of where we are or what condition we're in, but he won't be able to communicate with us until we are in the right state of mind, listening to the right thing.

Verses 11 and 12 of I Kings 19 speak of the things that we might usually believe contain the messages of God: powerful winds (current cultural norms and the tide of public opinion?), earthquakes (calamities in nature?), and fire (passions and desires of the mind such as power, greed or popularity?).

But an old adage warns, "Prominence does not guarantee validity." Just because something is in our face regardless of which way we turn, doesn't make it right. The voice of God does not speak through the majority of people, natural disasters or the collective ego of any group. The voice of God is heard through the heart - the still, small voice that Elijah heard once he was able to put all those other distractions aside. Once he let them pass, he could hear the still, small voice - the gentle breeze.

God may gain our attention with some event or happening, but we can't make a true connection with him until we look inward to our own heart. Paul reminds us of this in Romans 10: 8 as he quotes from Deuteronomy, "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart." Jesus mentions the same thing as he described the coming of the kingdom of God in Luke 17:20-21, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will it be where they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."

How can we "leave our cave," put the noisy distractions aside, and come to a place where we can listen to the ear of our heart? Certainly, the distractions of this world are many, and they are strong. But stronger still is our own ability to practice present moment mindfulness - shedding any images of the past that trouble us, and fears and worries of the future that grab our attention - enabling us to see what is before us clearly, and to hear what is coming from our heart. This is one key to the kingdom.

We gain present moment mindfulness through practice - lots of it. We live each moment with "piercing eyes" and "piercing ears," really seeing and listening to what is going on around us, seeing and hearing deeply. We take time to be in the present moment, savoring each sight, sound and touch we are experiencing. We ask ourselves questions: "What am I really seeing right now?", "What am I really hearing right now?", "What am I really feeling right now?"

We learn to discern between distractions and truth. And after a while, we begin to see life as it really is. We come to realize that God's love is permanent and that physical things and situations are impermanent, and that all things are really connected in some manner. We come to realize that if we had been born and lived the life of the other person we are talking with, we might be exactly as that other person is right now.

Present moment mindfulness brings with it a greater understanding of life, and that nurtures deeper compassion and love for others and for this world. It helps us to shed the dysfunctional egos that envelop our souls. It is then that we are actually hearing the still, small voice of God coming from the kingdom in our heart.