COLUMN: Grey Matters – Wilderness and restoration

“Do not work so hard for Christ that you have no strength to pray, for prayer requires strength.” — J. Hudson Taylor

Last week we looked at 1 Kings 19 where Elijah fled for his life into the wilderness and God met him there. 1 Kings 19:5a-9a: “He (Elijah) finally sat down under a solitary broom bush. He longed for his own death… suddenly a messenger tapped him and said to him, “Get up! Eat something!” Elijah opened his eyes and saw flatbread baked on glowing coals and a jar of water right by his head… Elijah got up, ate and drank, and went refreshed by that food for forty days and nights until he arrived at Horeb, God’s mountain. There he went into a cave and spent the night. The Lord’s word came to him…”

Another detail that is fascinating in this story is how God first cared for Elijah’s physical well-being before speaking to him. God knows that we are frail and that physical weakness can cause spiritual weakness. God first ensured Elijah had shelter, sustenance, sleep, and strength before he told him what was next for his life. I often tell my patients in the hospital to not form any quick judgements or make important decisions until their health becomes more stable.

Jane Marie Thibault in her book, A Deepening Love Affair – The Gift of God in Later Life talks about how it is important to set up our times with God. If you are ‘hangry’ be sure to eat something before you commune with God! Thibault provides the following list which is similar to how you would prepare for a friend:

1) Prepare your surroundings.

2) Relax your body.

3) Do whatever you need to do to be comfortable. Whatever you want to do.

4) Be with your God. Be with Christ in a Gospel story. Be with him in your mental space, as he visits you. Invite him to spend time.

5) Just do it. Often. Very Often. Let yourself look forward to the visits. Anticipate. Prepare. Look for him.

6) Don’t worry about how or what you are feeling, if anything. Accept whatever experiences are given as gift.

7) Do not compare your prayer with that of another. Share, yes, but don’t evaluate yours by the standards of another. If you do, you will probably end up believing that the other person is a better “pray-er” than you are and become discouraged.

On Mount Horeb God comes to a prepared Elijah first as wind, then as an earthquake and then fire, and “after the fire came a gentle whisper.” (1 Kings 19:12). The God who once sent fire from heaven chose now to speak through a whisper. Why? Because whispers require intimacy. When someone shouts, they may be far away. When someone whispers, we need to stop what we are doing and draw close. God was showing Elijah that His presence was not limited to spectacular displays of power. God is just as present in the quiet as He was in the miraculous.

The whisper was not merely comforting. It renewed Elijah’s purpose in life. Sent him back into ministry, this time with a parter in the younger Elisha. God’s whisper does more than soothe us. It transforms us.

How can we hear God’s voice today? Slow down! Set up a place and time that helps your body and heart to be ready to receive. To listen. God is at the door with a couple coffees and freshly baked bread. “He says you have been on his mind and that he has come to visit for a little while. Is that all right with you. Imagine how you feel when he asks you that question. What do you say to him?” (Jane Marie Thibault).