Desert; a Place of Hiding

Look up and see His grandeur

Be still and know I am God
Desert; a place of hiding
Looking at the story of Moses in Exodus, I realized that a desert is a place of chastening to those that the Lord loves. It is also a place of encountering grace underserved and Gods amazing glory. Moses, experienced the grace, was chastened until in the book of Numbers, the Lord Himself declares that Moses is the most humble man ever!
And scrutinizing Abraham, a desert is a place of cementing friendship with God. God himself calls Abraham His friend.
Before I lose you there, Elijah is our focus today. The reason he is hidden in the desert is to be protected from the wrath of Jezebel. An infuriated wicked woman who will not rest until every stone is turned upside down in a witch hunt for Elijah’s head.
One man Albert Osborn said
“Before speaking publicly about God, we ought to be sure that God’s Word is in our very bones burning for expression. For surely, thousands of our words will not equal a few of God’s Words’’
Elijah goes through thickets up to a brook and between the rock masses and scrawny of the brook is his hiding place. That was God’s choice for his hiding. The prophets in those days I presume put on a unique rob and sandals like akala…I want you to see the picture of Elijah; it’s a wilderness, in some rocky caves with tiny rocks like we learn in geography stalactites and stalagmites dangling from the top and floor of the cave. His beards are probably long, and his cloak somehow camouflaging with color of the rocks and cave. Blankly staring at what will be his abode for a long while.
There is a silence that enshrouds this place. He looks around with keenness, the screaming silence enveloping the cave. A silence that is only disturbed by occasional vacuous noises, melody from the ravens, a hissing snake at a distance, the chortle of the brook as it drops the liquid that quenches his throat from the scorch heat. The stillness, the Voice of God, his sequential heartbeat as he silently breathes the cold air into his nostrils, maybe a personal reflection…I don’t know.
I wonder what Elijah feels now or what his reflections look like. Is he thinking about Ahab, Jezebels cruelty, the people? Does he feel alone, forgotten and shunted off? I wonder if he cried out sometimes like David imploring the Lord asking “How long O Lord?”
Or does he enjoy the moment and find therapy in the silence? Is he able to tell of God’s marvelous acts by just analyzing the brook, as the ravens bring him food?
Or maybe as one writer once said, do the lofty rocks speak of God’s greatness and his littleness or of God’s grandeur?
Do the rocks also testify of God’s protective nature to shield us from our Jezebels or in his case the glaring scorch summer sun?
Does Elijah learn to embrace and read God’s natural book? do the skies vastness at night fill him with awe and wonder…would he have easily sang along the lyrics of God of wonders beyond the galaxy, From such a sight?
I have much wonderment…
From the inky blackness with myriad of stars, moon light so clear…not vying for attention from the kanjos streetlights; What about the brook, does he ever wonder as the single drops of water fall and hits the rock surface softly from the brook?
The melody from the flowing stream; does it leave him refreshed and have mystic impact in his inner man? Did he relish these moments, God’s providence of clean unpolluted water in the heart of a desert?
Well, even when ravens fly past his head and rest in a rock in his face with his dinner, does this sooth his soul amidst the adventure in the desert?
Does he get lost in the awesomeness of God?
The Bible tells that he was a man with nature just like ours… and this makes me wonder how he found the experience of being hidden in the desert.
In hiddenness silence like this is where we can think clearly and appreciate fully all things and hear distinctly. And I realized, stillness if I would compare it with a school, is that school where would be listeners to God must attend for a long time if they would learn the art.
Elijah waited for the Lord for a long time. There was a gushing wind, but the Lord was not in it, there was an earthquake, the Lord wasn’t in it, but then he chose to be still and in deep silence…He heard the Lord.
Do you have a hiding desert?

Pain Realities

Painful Realities

For the twenty something years I have lived, I have realised that most people have perpetually gone through pain in their life. Not like mother's delivery pain...that's totally on another level.
I mean, loss of a loved one, a broken marriage, an abusive partner,a heartbreak,a miscarriage, pain of not having your own baby and so fourth
Some somehow gun the courage to move through the valley of this "death" singlehandedly but the majority rely on the strength of those around that cares and love them.
Pain has a way of making us know how much strength we have.
With pain, we are caused to see things a little more differently unlike other folks.

A shoulder to lean on becomes essential when dealing with pain.
The saddest bit though is that those that seemingly offer moral support and walk with you through the turmoil are the ones hurting the most.
ECCEDENTESIAST is the term used to describe a person who hides there pain in a smile....
They give you hope to face your situation with boldness yet they are bleeding inside.
They encourage you with the last ounce of positivity in their blood stream when they need a repump if the same so badly.
Yes, they wipe your crancky face after that messy young relationship heartbreak when they are fighting a marriage on the rocks.
They pray for God to help you go through the pregnancy when they are still trusting God for just one baby after several years of marriage without any.
They will organize a surprise baby shower party for you even when they have longed for but haven't held a baby of their own in their arms.
They will spend hours praying for you who wants to settle with such vigour yet they are fighting the very same devil within their innermost being.
They will always be around like a big sis or bro you never had just to solve your problems.
They will have you cry all night in their company oozing your frustration without cutting you off. Only for you to realize when you leave next morning that you never had a chance to find out how they were and what they are battling.
They will never burden you with their issues at all!
They will battle cancer and chemotherapy silently and attend to you when you go ranting about a one thing that didn't go your way.
They will give you that sister's smile and wink when deep down they really wish you will notice that they too need a pillar to lean on.
May be a strong man to lean on, an understanding person to rely on.
They will do everything to make the people that matter around them happiest,even when they are hurting the most.
Yes, those people. That can hide their pain within a smile and make someone's day much exhilarating and cry out their chest later,perhaps alone, in a quiet place when the reality of having to deal with their real situations hits them hard.
They like to cry alone and chew the bones of their pain silently. They wet their pillows at night making desperate cries,pleas and sometimes just groans that can't be uttered, carnaly,senseless gibberish .
If they are spiritual, they pray and seek the Lord to find strength in Him.Sometimes when there is no strength to pray,they just lay there,quiet and still,sometimes shedding a tear or two,sometimes letting them flow like torrents without care but the bottom line is,they try to find strength for the valley.
Its always the broken souls that are always trying to help...
If you know any such a strong person... Let them know that you value them and you would love to be strong for them, take a bullet for them too like they have always done for you!!!
They too need a shoulder to lean on,
A real good one to rely on!

Silent therapy

Silence therapy...

Sometimes it feels better not to talk. At all. About anything. To anyone. Silence is golden they say. It will hold you from speaking things that you can regret later on. And we all know,the worst thing that can happen is to yup aimlessly out of a haze of emotions and having to apologize later. On saying things and wishing you could get it off the tape.
Women speak about 10,000 words per day apparently but am not sure about that. What am learning however, is that waiting silently is one of the hardest disciplines one can develop. Lately, i have just been appreciating that the things we feel most deeply are what we ought to learn to be silent about atleast until we have talked over thoroughly with God.
Being quiet doesnt mean one is angry or sad,in most cases, silent treatment means seeking a higher mundane force(God) for clarity, affirmation, solace and direction.

Don't agonise over the *What's up* Q's.
Sometimes people keep silent because they just don't have the words to express the battle on their mind and heart. You may never understand even when you pat them on the shoulder and say *I get it*
Allow them to talk it over to the Lord and when time is right, they will loop you in depending the level of your interaction...

Yeah, silence is golden