The Lord appears to Elijah

¹¹ The Lord said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. ¹³ When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

(1 Kings 19: 11–13a)

Gentle and omnipotent Lord, in our isolation we are surrounded by the clamour of all the news of the Covid-19 virus, the politicians’ statements and assertions, the conflicting statistics and the various ‘predictions’ about how the pandemic will progress. The current crisis is like an earthquake, turning our world upside down.

Through all this noise and confusion let us, like Elijah hiding in the cave on Mount Horeb, listen for your still small voice, speaking to us of your love for us and your promise that you will be with us always, comforting and protecting us.

As we approach the end of this day, we thank you for all the kindnesses that have been shown to us by strangers, neighbours, friends and family. We thank you too for the opportunities we have had to be kind and thoughtful for others.

Tomorrow is another day that you have made, and we shall be glad and rejoice in it, for you are with us and all your children.

When we lie down to rest, let your clear calm light shine into our darkness, bringing comfort and reassurance, so that we may sleep peacefully and wake refreshed.

We end our prayers this evening by saying the Grace together:

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with us all,
now and for evermore.

Amen

Robin Kyd