Thin Places-In Nature

Last time we saw how God can meet us in the ‘thin places’ of our dreams. The Oct. 7 post included Rich Mullin’s song With the Wonder, that has the chorus line, “And while we live in the world that You have made, we hear it whisper of a world that is to come.” God can break through in the thin places found in nature, too, as Elijah discovered.

The story of Elijah is in I Kings. He lived about 100 years (give or take) after Solomon’s reign when Ahab was king of Israel (and Jehoshaphat was king in Judah). We first meet him in I Kings 17 when he tells King Ahab, “As the Lord the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” God then tells Elijah to “hide yourself by the brook Cherith, that is east of the Jordan.” (It’s a little north of Jabbok where Jacob wrestled with God.) Ravens bring Elijah bread and meat in the morning and evening, until the brook dried up. (Then he goes to Zaraphath where a widow provides for him.) It was the first time, but not the last time, that Elijah met God in the things of nature-or did God meet Elijah?

After 3 years, God tells Elijah to inform Ahab that the drought will end and confront all the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel (I Kings 18:20-38). Elijah challenges the other prophets to a contest to see which god is God. The worshippers of Baal get no response from their god and Elijah mocks them, “Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is musing, or he has gone aside, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” When Elijah builds his altar he orders water poured over the offering three times and “the water ran round about the altar and filled the trench also with water.” Then Elijah prays and “the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.” A pretty dramatic exhibition of God!

You would think that Elijah would be able to rest on his laurels then, but Queen Jezebel threatens him so he runs and hides in the wilderness. The angel of God sends him on to Mt. Horeb where God dramatically confronts his prophet. “What are you doing here, Elijah?” The man replies that “I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life…” God then passes by in wind, fire, and earthquake, but the Lord was not in these events. At the end Elijah hears a “still small voice…[and] he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.” There God speaks and sends him to anoint a new prophet and new kings in Syria and Israel. (I Kings 19:9-18).

Elijah’s experiences with God manifest in the ravens, the lightening, the rain, the earthquake, wind, and fire are echoed in the well known hymn Ode to Joy:

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!

All Thy works with joy surround Thee, earth and heaven reflect Thy rays,
Stars and angels sing around Thee, center of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea,
Singing bird and flowing fountain call us to rejoice in Thee.

Thou art giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blessed,
Wellspring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother, all who live in love are Thine;
Teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine.

Mortals, join the happy chorus, which the morning stars began;
Father love is reigning o’er us, brother love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward, victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful music leads us Sunward in the triumph song of life.

Elijah felt God’s providence in the ravens and saw God’s power in the drought and rain. Despite the dramatic signs in nature, Elijah knows that God is present in the calm after the storm, as well as in the fire from heaven that consumed his offering on Mt. Horeb. Have you ever experienced God’s presence in nature or in the still small voice after the storm?

Next time we’ll look at some of the origins of All Hallow’s Day.