Pockets of Sabbath: Part 2

Desperation is the exact thing that can propel us into the spiritual discipline of solitude and silence.  This was certainly true for the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 19.  He was on the run for his life from the evil Queen Jezebel.  He was exhausted mentally, physically and emotionally…he was desperate, at the end of his rope, not unlike ourselves at times.  Motherhood in all its beauty and wonder, can leave us desperate and needing God to intervene.  That’s why I like to say that Motherhood is “brut-iful”…it’s both brutal and beautiful.

After his sleep under the broom tree where he collapsed in utter exhaustion, he then traveled for 40 days into the desert to Mt. Horeb where he slid into a cave and fell asleep. I am sure you are all familiar with what happens next…

God wasn’t in the hurricane wind.

God wasn’t in the earthquake.

God wasn’t in the fire.

But God was in the whisper.

What’s interesting is that the word whisper is translated in Hebrew to silence. God was found in the silence.  In Elijah’s mind, if there was ever a time he needed God to show up in big way—it was now…but notice God didn’t show up in a big, grandiose way that Elijah was probably hoping for…he showed up in a whisper.

God is not going to try and out-shout or out –loud our lives—if you and I want to encounter God, it’s going to be in the gentle whisper.

I am guilty of this and maybe some of you are too, but when I find myself in that desperate situation…where I feel overwhelmed with the amount of dishes in the sink, or the constant demands of motherhood.  I think to myself that if I can just manage the chaos…if I can get all the boxes on my To-Do list checked off, then I will have peace…then I can rest in solitude and silence.  But what I am beginning to learn, is that peace comes from the posture of my heart amidst the chaos, not from me trying to control the circumstances around me.

In what ways are you desperate for God to intervene today?  As moms, it’s not realistic to take 40 days away from Motherhood, although there are times I am tempted (just being honest).  This week’s challenge…whatever ordinary task you find yourself doing, whether it’s dishes or laundry, invite God into it with you.  Ask Him to speak to you; tell Him that you are listening.  Document this week’s challenge by using the hashtag #pocketsofsabbath showing us what ordinary task became your altar.