Lent is a time to learn how to listen to the good spirit and reject the voice of the bad spirit. The Bad Spirit is trying to lead us away from God. The Good Spirit is trying to lead us to God. This could be the devil, his minions, our sin, and our own ego. The other voice comes from the bad spirit. This could be the Lord Jesus, our heavenly father, or the Holy Spirit. We can imagine two voices that speak to us all the time. How do we combat these temptations? One way is to make sure we’re listening to the right voice. As we increase our efforts to grow closer to God, the devil increases his efforts to pull us away. (see Mt 4:1-11) The temptations increase when we try to do holy and virtuous acts, especially during the season of Lent. Like the heron, the stillness may allow you to penetrate the fog surrounding your life and gain a new perspective, maybe even allow you to hear the cry of someone in need of your help.Temptations. This miraculouis moment began with Jesus heading the words of the psalmist, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Find a moment to still your mind, body, and soul. He leaves, glorifying God, and not him alone, but “all the people, when they saw it, praised God.” The blind man opens up to Jesus in faith, “Lord,let me see again,” and is both healed and saved. In perfect stillness Jesus ask just the perfect open-ended question: “What do you want me to do for you?” (Lk 18:41a) It is a question that is not casting judgement or trying to manipulate, but genuinely seeking a deeper understanding and appreciation of where the person is physically, emotionally, and spiritually. ![]() ![]() Jesus, however, used stillness to penetrate the noise and enter into the world of the blind man, sensing not only his blindness, but his deeper longing for healing and wholeness. Without entering into this stillness, they simply heard the cry of a beggar whose plea to “have mercy” seemed to be an annoying appeal for more alms. The gospel says, “Jesus stood still.” (NRSV, 8:40) It’s as if Jesus tuned out everything else and made the cry for mercy the complete center of his attention. Yet among all this noise and movement, Jesus does something contrary. Above all the noise, a blind man cries out for mercy. The scene begins with a raucous crowd travelling through Jericho. There is a telling phrase in Luke’s gospel recounting Jesus healing a blind man (Luke 18: 35-43). Stillness also helps us see things that others might not see. Stillness reminds us of God’s presence in our lives and invites us to “come and see the works of the Lord.” (46:9) Stillness puts our troubles in an eternal perspective. ![]() Stillness helps us see the troubles around us through God’s eyes. How did the Lord respond? With eight simple words to live by: “Be still and know that I am God.” Then continues with something we can relate to today, “Nations are in uproar.” In the psalms, the Lord says, “Be still and know that I am God.” (PS 46:10) In context, the psalm first recounts a long list of calamities like volcanoes, earthquakes, and tidal waves. Maybe we can learn a lesson from the heron. The one captured in the photo doesn’t seem to be fishing, however, but simply taking in all the surroundings and trying to discern what’s beyond the fog. ![]() It’s a posture this majestic bird adopts when searching for fish. A Great Blue Heron on my neighbor’s dock stands completely still in the morning fog.
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