Guest Post with Susan Fish
Sunday, June 15, 2014
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Today, I'd like to extend a warm welcome to Susan Fish, whose novel, 'Seeker of Stars', is a great historical Biblical read with living, believable characters which draw you right into the story.
I’ve always been drawn to the story of the still, small voice. That story in I Kings 19 after Elijah has the encounter with the prophets of Baal and Ahaz and Jezebel and he’s terrified and exhausted on every level. I like that God tells him to eat and drink and lets him sleep, and then has him eat again. God takes really good care of this exhausted prophet. And then he presents his complaint to God and God invites him to stand at the edge of a cave on the mountain of God, Mount Horeb. And so, Elijah stands there through a strong wind and an earthquake and a fire. But God is not in any of those things. God is in what comes next: a still, small voice.
And so it was for me, although I hesitate to tell it. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in the mantle and was ready to answer God’s questions in a new way. When I heard it, I felt cared for rather than awed but I am afraid that if I tell this, I will give it away. Can we all agree to take off our sandals here as we stand on holy ground? To wrap our faces in our mantles?
It had been a year of earthquake and wind and fire. People I loved deeply on death’s door. A painful misunderstanding between siblings. Uprooting our family to move to a new home.
Over and over again, I sensed the still, small voice of God telling me: you have what you need. You already have what you need.
On the most basic level, that can mean taking a hard look at what’s in the refrigerator and creating dinner out of stray vegetables and lone sausages, instead of heading off to buy all the required ingredients for a meal. It meant hanging a rug on a wall instead of buying a new painting for a blank space. It meant repurposing and rethinking stuff we already had rather than always going to look for something new.
But it also meant something deeper: it meant that even in the wind and the earthquake and the fire, God was enough. I already had what I needed. Elijah felt like he was the only one on God’s team but in that moment, God showed him that there were many others who were faithful and that their faithfulness together with God’s unfailing faithfulness was indeed enough. It was already having what they needed.
It’s actually been transformative. To know that I already have what I need leads to calmness, gratitude and creative thinking. It makes me resourceful and watchful for what God might be up to. It makes me rest and it makes me ready for whatever God has in store for me next.
Susan, thanks so much for sharing with us, and encouraging us. I'm sorry to hear the last year has been difficult and heartbreaking for you in so many ways, but I wouldn't have missed this encouragement that we all have what we need.

Susan has offered to give away copies of 'Seeker of Stars' to two blog visitors. Please leave a comment to be in the draw, including your email contact details so we can let you know if you win. Winners will be chosen randomly.
Seeker of Stars available from Amazon