September 20, 2009
Matthew 11:28-30; I Kings 19:1-18
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Tucked away in the Old Testament book of I Kings, is an intriguing story about the prophet Elijah. It was a difficult time, a tumultuous time in his life and the life of his nation. And in chapter 19, we find he is running away, escaping, fearing for his life.
Why is he afraid? Well, Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab of Israel, the northern kingdom, has threatened to have Elijah killed. And she means business! The first 16 chapters of I Kings we read about the various kings of Israel and Judah in this divided monarchy, and how they are continuing to drift farther and farther away from the worship of God/Yahweh. The kings are evil. Worship of other gods is common, accepted, encouraged, especially worship of Baal, the Canannite god, who they believe is responsible for the fertility of the land.
In chapter 16 we come to the reign of Ahab, King of Israel for 22 years during the middle of 800 B.C.E. And scripture records, “Ahab did more to provoke the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than had all the kings of Israel who were before him.”(16:33) One of the ‘not so good things’ that he did was to marry Jezebel, a Phoenician princess. From a political standpoint, it might have been a good thing, but it really became a religious disaster. Her influence over Ahab, who was already evil, continued to pull the nation further away from Yahweh.
During this time Elijah, the prophet, predicted a 3 year drought. Toward the end of that drought, he proposed a contest between the prophets of Baal and Yahweh. Baal failed. In this contest it became clear that Yahweh is the one and only true God of Israel, the one responsible for the fertility of the land, not Baal or any other god. In the end the prophets of Baal are seized and destroyed.
When the people acknowledge that there is only one true God in Israel, Elijah speaks the word to end the drought.
Today’s scripture: (19:1-18)
When Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, that he had killed the prophets of Baal, she sent a message to Elijah,’ You killed my prophets. Now I’m going to kill you!’How do we seek God’s face and hear God’s voice when we are immersed in a culture of noise? when we are faced with a myriad of images that come at us from all different directions , when we are bombarded with way too much information, when we are stressed out and overworked and overwhelmed with choices and difficult decisions? When and how do we find a place and time for God? a place of quiet rest and renewal?
Elijah was afraid when he got her message and ran to the town of Beersheba in Judah. He left his servant there and walked another whole day into the desert. Finally he came to a large solitary broom tree, sat down in the shade and cried out to God, “I’ve had enough. Just let me die! I’m no better off than my ancestors.” Then he lay down in the shade and fell asleep.
Suddenly an angel of the Lord woke him up and said, “Get up and eat.” Elijah looked around and found a jar of water and baked bread by his head. He sat up, ate, drank, lay down and fell asleep.
The angel of the Lord awoke him again and said, “Get up and eat, or else you will get too tired for the journey.” So Elijah sat up, ate and drank again until he was full. The food and water gave him strength to walk another long way. At last he reached Mt. Sinai, the mountain of God. He found a cave there and spent the night.
While Elijah was on Mt. Sinai, the Lord asked, “So Elijah, why are you here?”
Elijah replied, “ Lord God All Powerful, I’ve been working my heart out for you, obeying you. But the people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed your places of worship and killed all your prophets. I’m the only one left and now they are trying to kill me!”
“Go out and stand on the mountain”, the Lord replied, “and watch. I want you to see me when I pass by.”
Suddenly a huge hurricane wind shook the mountain and shattered the rocks, but the Lord was not in the wind. Then an earthquake happened, but the Lord was not in the earthquake, then a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of sheer silence...a gentle breeze...a quiet whisper. When Elijah heard that, he threw his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the entrance to the cave.
The Lord asked again, “Elijah, so why are you here?”
Elijah answered, “Lord God All Powerful, I’ve been working my heart out for you, obeying you. But the people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed your places of worship and killed all your prophets. I’m the only one left and not they are trying to kill me!”
The Lord replies, “Elijah, go back, return through the desert to Damascus. When you get there, appoint Hazael king of Aram, appoint Jehu king of Israel and appoint Elisha, to take your place as prophet.
Anyone who escapes death by Hazael will be killed by Jehu, anyone who escapes death by Jehu will be killed by Elisha.
But 7000 Israelites who refused to worship Baal, I will preserve for myself. They will live.”
When Elijah was afraid, tired, exhausted, discouraged, he ran away. (Sometimes we may feel like doing that, as well). He knew his life was in danger. He fled the situation. He found a place of rest in the shade of a solitary tree in the desert and poured out his frustration to God. (I’ve had enough. Just let me die!) Tired and alone, he heard the angel of the Lord speak. God provided for his physical needs, as well, food and drink for the journey. He continued on and found refuge in a cave. There, too, he heard the probing voice of God, asking, “Why are you here?”
In the solitude and silence of that place, Elijah heard the voice, telling him to stand on the mountain and watch, for God was to pass by. God was promising his presence. Go..stand...watch for me! And Elijah discovers that God comes..not in the wind of the hurricane, not in the earthquake, not in the fire. But God comes in the sound of sheer silence, the gentle breeze, the quiet whisper. Wow!! How awesome!
How many times have we missed God because we have been too busy, too noisy, too preoccupied, too distracted to notice God’s presence/activity or hear God’s voice?
In my adult life, especially in my 22 years of ministry, one of the most difficult challenges for me is to find a balance, a healthy rhythm between doing and being, between solitude and community, between engagement with others and alone time.
I have come to believe that most of the time, spaces of quiet do not automatically present themselves to us. I believe that we need to deliberately and intentionally clear a space for God, to plan an interval of stillness, a pause in the day or week, or month that provides space and respite from the constant and unrelenting demands of our schedules.
I have tried to build into my calendar some days of retreat. It is hard to keep them. I have found that when I do, I am in a far healthier mental, spiritual and emotional state than if I allow things to crowd them out or decide I don’t have the time this month. I agree with Thomas Merton who wrote, “It is in deep solitude and silence that I find the gentleness with which I can truly love my brother and sister.” (p. 15 Dakota, by Kathleen Norris)
There is no set pattern or formula that works for everyone when it comes to making room for God. Each of us needs to discover what we need and how it can work for us in our present context and life situation. What works for a full time teacher will be different from a stay at home mom. What works for a retired person will be different from a factory worker....and so on.
Pay attention to what keeps you grounded, focused, and calm. It might be something as simple as 10 minutes of deep breathing exercises or yoga. It might be praying the Lord’s prayer or reciting the 23rd Psalm every day. It might be stepping away from the computer a certain time each day and walking around the block. It might be leaving your cell phone at home or not checking your e mails every day. It might be taking a day apart, a retreat..once a month, several days every year.
A woman from Colorado wrote, “Taking a spiritual retreat is like fasting, not from food, but from activity. It’s time to seek God, to help me find my center and get quiet again in my soul.” (quoted in A Place for God by Timothy Jones, p. 33)
If we are honest with ourselves, some of us must admit we don’t like silence, maybe even are afraid of it. Some of us aren’t so sure we should even take a break, to get away for a day or two or a long weekend. We are so geared to doing and producing and thinking that every day and minute must count! It can’t be wasted! If that is you, then the thought of leaving being calendars, cell phones, computers, blackberries, your work and family responsibilities, may throw you into a panic attack. You’re not alone! The first time I went on a weekend prayer retreat years ago that was mostly a silent retreat, I could hardly get through it. But know I look forward to those times and moments and breathing spaces that I plan for and sometimes that do come unexpectedly.
Kathleen Norris tells a story of when she was an artist in residence in elementary schools. She would conduct an experiment with the students regarding noise and silence. She told them when she raised her hand, they should make as much noise as they could while sitting at their desk, using their mouth, hands and feet. After a while they learned to really let loose. Then when her hand came down, she told them to be as silent as they could, not making any noise. As first they were almost frightened by the eerie power of silence, but then learned to love the stillness. After the experiment, she had them write about it, to describe their experiences on paper. Describing the noise was simpler and predictable. (“herd of elephants”, “loud train,”) Describing the silence was harder and called forth more imagination. One girl wrote, “Silence is a tree spreading its branches to the sun.” Another girl wrote, “Silence reminds me to take my soul with me wherever I go.”
Can we take a break from noisy and busy lives? Jesus had crowds around him daily, as he preached, taught and healed the sick. Yet he went off, found a quiet place, a solitary place to pray. Henri Nouwen writes, “In that place he finds the courage to follow God’s will and not his own, to speak God’s words and not his own; to do God’s work and not his own.”
I believe that we all have a hunger, at times, to be replenished in body, mind and spirit....a longing for solitude, rest and rhythm. There is a time for hunkering down, working hard, staying busy, being involved and engaged, putting out, but there is also a time for getting away, disengaging, letting go, being silent, and yes, even nonproductive. Timothy Jones writes in his book, A Place for God, “Everyone needs the alternation of putting out and taking in, of pulling back in order to find energy to keep going. Life gets out of sync otherwise. To balance the noise of modern life we need the enriching power of at lease occasional spaces of quiet. We season our times with others with times apart.” (p. 39)
Jesus offers us rest. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. “ Matthew 11:28-30
Jesus comes to us in the silence.
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