Daily Devotion - Tuesday, April 12

Do You Hear What I Hear?


Frederick Buechner is an enjoyable, thoughtful writer. The book Listening to Your Life, a daily meditation book, is filled with meaningful insights. In one April meditation he suggests that life itself is trying to tell us something.

“The alphabet of grace is full of sibilants—
sounds that can’t be shouted but only whispered:
the sounds of bumblebees and wind,
of whitecaps hissing up flat over the glittering sand,
of crowds hushed in vast and vaulted places,
the sound of your own breathing.

“The trees, the budding flowers, the rhythm of waking, work and sleeping—all are trying to tell us something.”

The meditation goes on and Buechner continues to use words that paint a picture about the rhythm of life. He concludes with these brief words:

“How do I happen to believe in God?
I will give one more answer, which can be stated briefly.
Writing novels, I got into the habit of looking for plots.
After awhile, I began to suspect that my own life had a plot.
And after awhile more, I began to suspect that life itself has a plot.”

Seems like Buechner is in touch with something! It really isn’t new. In fact, Buechner seems to be using his words to tell the story of Psalm 104. Why not take a minute and read that Psalm today.

--Ben Keckler
04.12.11