From Contemplation to Action 12+

📖 Contemplation is a spiritual process involving long, thoughtful, steady, serious, and attentive consideration or observation in order to achieve closer unity with God and to discover and understand God's will for the contemplative. Contemplation gives rise to activity, and activity, in turn, gives rise to more contemplation. The result of contemplation is often called discernment, seeing clearly what is at first not very clear or obvious, understanding what is not immediately obvious, resulting in accuracy of spiritual perception. Divine discernment is contemplation in action; it results in insight, inspiration, and an awareness of inner truth upon which one must act. While there are countless models of contemplation leading to action, the ninth-century BCE prophets Elijah and Elisha are the examples used in this book. Both are seers, messengers, and heralds of the LORD. They appear in activity when they are needed, and they disappear into solitude and silence when they are not. ""It is refreshing in a world in which we are battered by the cacophony of sounds, social media, and constantly interacting with other people to find a work that advocates silence and quiet contemplation. The Elijah-Elisha narratives are a perfect vehicle modelling the value of filtering out all distractions and striving instead to listen for God's voice and intention. The format of this volume allows an easy step through the stories and challenges the reader to take the time to consid...