Abba’s Whisper

Lighter Than The Breeze

At the farm this week I noticed a variety of delicate and not so delicate actions: fire flies illuminating the night sky, a satellite zipping by in the darkness, field mice jumping out of the way of the lawn mower, chipmunks making a run for the gazebo, a diligent crow pecking at the basement window, an osprey circling over her nest, a lone wild turkey on a rural road, hawks on the hunt, turkey buzzards soaring above searching out prey, bumble bees buzzing, Canada geese honking…

Lots of action. Consciousness at work. Choices made. Movements subtly or awkwardly executed. All in this world of a four-acre farm, surrounded by serious farmers tending to their crops and acreage. 

Similarly, we are invited to wake up to the Spirit’s delicate movements. To listen carefully and observe the Spirit’s breath gliding over our skin, mind, and spirit. So soft and easily missed. 

“We must, in a sense, wake up. It is not easy to be sensitive to the delicate action of the Spirit,” writes Catherine Doherty in Poustinia:

“The Spirit moves so very lightly, lighter than the breeze, lighter than the air. When you breathe you are not aware of the air in the room. You are so used to breathing that you don’t think about the air. The poustinik (i.e. attentive hearer of God) must become conscious of the air.” 

We need to train ourselves to listen for God’s voice in this intentional manner. Training ourselves to become awake at the interior level or awakening “at the epidermal level” as Dallas Willard calls it. Let’s not limit ourselves to the exterior world and its mystical beauty but delve into our inner space which is equally vast and mesmerizing.

For more on listening for Abba’s voice check out my book Abba’s Whisper: Listening for the Voice of God which is now available on Audible and Apple Books.