Lectio Divina - 1 Kings 19:7-13,15
Each fortnight our kaleo and ministry team spend time in lectio divinia bible reading. We attempt to enter the biblical story as we share our reflections on the passage. This week we explored 1 Kings 19, where Elijah retreats to the mountain in an attempt to encounter God. But Elijah doesn’t experience God in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire that he witnesses from the mountain top. Instead he is told to return to the wilderness of Damascus as it is here that he will presumably experience God.
It made me reflect on how we often expect to experience God in mountain top experiences. Maybe you can recall times like this at Camps, admiring creation, in prayer or at worship services. But, we can and should expect to, experience God as we follow Jesus. In the act of being Jesus hands and feet we can experience the presence of God.
This was my prayer written from my reflections on 1 Kings 19.
God let me see you at all times, in every event and issue.
Help me not to wrap my face in the mantle of things that distract me from you.
Allow me to experience you everyday, in the ordinary and the mundane.
Let me look for you!
Let me look for you in those little glimmers of hope,
the little flashes of insight into your way
Allow me to follow you
and see you clearer as I draw nearer.
June 24th, 2004 at 4:35 pm
Ah! so you are still alive. I was being to think I should have been reading the obituaries.
June 24th, 2004 at 11:04 pm
Your reflection is wonderful. The post made me think about something I read last week…an Oswald Chambers devotional. He commented, “Don’t always expect God to give you His thrilling moments, but learn to live in those common times of the drudgery of life by the power of God.” Here’s the link, http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/utmost/06/15/
June 25th, 2004 at 9:26 am
Having recently come from a place where I could not at all ‘feel’ God due to a number of reasons I cannot agree more. It was only through the fact that I ‘knew’ he was there due to his word and past experiences that I was able to break through ‘the mantle of things that distract me’. I also gave thanks for the things that I take for granted, but which are in fact huge blessings - things we often consider as ordinary (accomodation, car, friends and family). It was then that I gained some perspective and started to see things more through God’s eyes. I have a long way to go, but a worthwhile goal I think.
June 25th, 2004 at 11:14 am
One thing that has rarely been mentioned is that Elijah is clearly suffering from depression in this experience.
This and Jeremiah show us the O/T prophets are clearly human people with problems we can relate to,
June 28th, 2004 at 3:11 pm
It is worth noting that what Elijah was sent to do in the wilderness was anoint a new king.
It seems religion can’t hide up the mountain and avoid politics after all.
August 27th, 2004 at 11:35 am
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