Face Time With God

This one is from 08-07-11

1 Kings 19:7-13
The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched Elijah, and said, "Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you." Elijah got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He answered, "I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life to take it away." The angel said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

Have you ever heard the sound of sheer silence? It’s more than just the sound of a quiet room or a quiet field. There is no computer humming in the background or the quiet swish of butterfly wings outside. The closest that I have come to sheer silence was on a visit of the Mammoth Caves in Kentucky. There were only a few of us on the tour. The tour guide asked us if it would be alright if he turned off his flashlight and we all stayed quiet for 30 seconds. We agreed. The darkness and the silence was beyond anything that I’d ever experienced before. Had it gone on much longer it might have been maddening. I almost felt swallowed up.

The passage we read says Elijah heard the sound of sheer silence – the silence was so loud. He wrapped his face in his mantle because he knew God was in the silence. Paul Simon had nothing on Elijah. The mantle that Elijah wrapped his face in was a cloak-like garment. It was used as outerwear in the cold and as a blanket at night. A mantle also represents the symbol of preeminence or authority. Elijah was a prophet of prophets. He had authority. Yet, amidst the silence of God, Elijah covered his face with that symbol of authority, humbling himself.

You see, Elijah was having a rough time. A really rough time. His life was being threatened by King Ahab’s wife, Jezebel the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians. She wanted to kill him because he had killed the prophets that she liked. Elijah ran away scared into the wilderness and sat under a tree. There he prayed, "It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors." In other words, he said, “Take me now. I give up! I thought I was better than this but I’m just like everybody else. I can’t go on.”

God sent an angel to him to give him food and drink. Then Elijah went on a trek up the mountain of God called Horeb. The word of the Lord came to him with a question, “What are you doing here?” Twice God asks Elijah this question. The second time was after that silence. Elijah answered the same way each time. He tells God that even though he is doing everything right, they still want to kill him. God promises him safety and tells him what to do.

Here’s another story about a guy who climbs a mountain to visit with God. Well, not just any guy and not just any prophet. Here we pick up on last week’s story about Jesus feeding the thousands of people.

Matthew 14:20-27
And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."

It seems that prophets like to take treks up mountains to visit God … especially when they are upset. The truth is, Jesus was having a rough time too. There was reason that he wanted to get away in the first place, before the crowds followed him. He had just found out that his cousin, John the Baptizer, had been beheaded by King Herod. He just wanted some time alone to deal with his loss. But the crowds gathered around him and his heart went out to them. After healing all those who were sick Jesus fed the crowd. Remember that? Now, finally, he sends his disciples away in a boat and dismisses the crowd. Then he climbs the mountain to pray. He’s not as desperate as Elijah was, but he needs to get with God.

Jesus knows that his disciples in the boat are in rough waters, but he needs to have time with God. It isn’t until early in the morning that Jesus walks to them on the water, scaring them more than the rough seas did. The story picks up from here about Peter walking on the water and falling in. Then there’s the lesson about faith. After that they reach Gennesaret and once again the sick are brought to him and he heals them all.

The ministry of Jesus is action-packed. It’s easy to skip the part where he simply climbs a mountain so that he can stop and pray. There is nothing about a voice coming from the sky or Jesus crying out. We only know that he is alone and praying. He’s aware of his friends, but he seems to know that he’ll get there soon enough. They can take care of themselves. He needs this time with God. He takes the time.

How often do we take time to just be with God? Do we wait too long, like maybe Elijah did? Seriously, it seems to me that Elijah waited until it was almost too late. He wanted to die. It’s true that Jesus pushed himself when he saw the crowd and had compassion on them, but then he got away. He knew he needed to have some face-time with God. Elijah wasn’t looking for face-time. He just prayed that God would take him. Instead God had an angel play the part of a nurse for him, giving him food and drink.

Jesus knew why he was there. He needed to grieve. He needed to pray. He needed to be in the presence of Divine Love. Yes there was still a lot of work to be done. Yes, he could have taken care of his friends in the boat. But he knew he needed to get his perspective back.

There is a lot of work for us to do. We have friends and loved ones who could use our help. But we must take the time to be with our Divine Love. It’s too easy to get overwhelmed. Keeping our perspective is crucial. We can’t do our dreaming for the future that we need to do if we don’t have some face-time with God.

Stop. Pray. Listen. Climb your mountain and get away from the needs that press in upon you.

If you are overwhelmed with worry, find a way to rejoice in the presence of God. If you are overwhelmed with grief, share your heart’s sorrow with God. If you are in a cycle of go go go, relax with God. If you don’t know what to do or how to pray, come talk to me. We’ll figure it out together.

Today as we prepare ourselves for communion, think about the love of God reaching toward Elijah as the angel gives him a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. The angel said to him, "Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you."

Think about Jesus taking the time to be in the presence of God, his heart in grief over his cousin’s death. When it was morning he got up and began again the work that was set out for him.

This week, as you go about life, take time to stop, pray, and listen. Reach out to the one called the Morningstar, the Rose of Sharon, the Presence, Provider, and Comforter. Reach out to the One Who Loves you far beyond what you can imagine. Listen for the silence of God’s presence and the love that it contains.