PrintElijah Re-visited (3)
Elijah's desert experience involved him facing the factors that were powerfully at work in his life and needed to be addressed urgently. In my last log I recognized his self-imposed isolation when he left his servant and went into the desert. I also raised the possibility that emotionally he was deeply depressed. So, what else?
C. Physical Exhaustion. I don't think it takes a very clever person to recognize that Elijah was physically exhausted following the great contest on Mount Carmel. I'm not convinced that Elijah recognized his exhaustion. Certainly God saw it because of how He responded to Elijah's need. God's immediate prescription was physical rest and refreshment. A good sleep and good food (Even hot bread and water must have tasted good to Elijah!).
How practical is our God?!I recall asking my mentor just what I should do when I went on a personal retreat for half a day or a day. "You might find that the most practical step is to sleep for the first 30 minutes or so". I have come to see that there is a lot of wisdom in that observation.
D. Relational Resentment. When God questioned Elijah, he responded with a complaint that God's people had broken the covenant, torn down the altars and killed the prophets. On the other hand, Elijah saw himself as the last of the faithful. I think I hear a touch of bitterness in Elijah's response. Did he feel alone in the battle for the truth?
E. Distorted Perspective. Elijah's perspective is skewed. Such was the distortion that he believed he alone was the only faithful prophet/believer left. God corrected that part of the distortion by telling Elijah that there were at least 7,000 who remained faithful to the covenant with the Lord God. In the midst of this interchange, God called Elijah to another mountain – Mount Sinai – and revealed Himself in a way that was markedly different from the revelation on Mount Carmel.
Elijah's desert experience was the needed encounter to move him from the Mount Carmel "extravaganza" or "spectacular" to Mount Sinai with its quietness and renewal. It seems to me that both these mountains represent God at work in different ways – each legitimate and to be pursued. Sometimes God works in ways that are spectacular. (I would love to see more of that activity!) Sometimes God works and speaks in ways that do not involve wind and fire and earthquake. He is found in the gentle whisper or the still small voice.
Before I leave Elijah I'd like one more opportunity to gather up a few closing thoughts in my next log entry.
