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As the first Book of Kings begins, Solomon becomes ruler of the united kingdom after the reign of his father David. He builds a temple, a palace, and other royal buildings. After Solomon’s death, the kingdom divides into Israel in the north and Judah in the south. In time, Ahab becomes king of the northern kingdom, marries a Phoenician princess named Jezebel, and erects an altar to Baal. The prophet Elijah rises up and predicts a drought, saying “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” (1 Kgs 17:1).
Then Elijah confronts the priests of Baal, kills them and tells Ahab that the drought will end. Sure enough, “in a little while … there was a heavy rain” (1 Kgs 18:45). But when Ahab’s wife Jezebel hears what Elijah had done to the prophets of Baal, she wants to kill him. As chapter 19 begins, Elijah flees by going a day’s journey into the wilderness, and sits down under a solitary broom tree (1 Kgs 19:4). Feeling stressed and depressed, he needs some time to recharge in nature, much as Jesus did when “he would withdraw to deserted places and pray” (Luke 5:16).
This kind of escape into the wilderness is growing in popularity. Called “forest bathing,” it originated in Japan and is designed to calm the spirits of people who are stressed by too much technology. According to The Washington Post, a group of high-tech workers in Seattle recently took part in an activity called “Unplug and Recharge in Nature.” After spending so much time in the information-loaded virtual world, they felt a need to reconnect with the tree-filled real world. Research is beginning to show that this kind of bathing is associated with lower stress levels and better moods, as well as an increase in self-esteem, physical fitness, memory, attention and creativity.
Participants in forest bathing are asked to find a “sit spot” and rest quietly for twenty minutes, using all of their senses to become aware of the wilderness around them. And this is exactly what Elijah did when he sat down under a broom tree. When he found his “sit spot,” he was feeling discouraged and depressed, and he asked that he might die. Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep, and after a while an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He found a cake and a jar of water, and then he ate, drank, and lay down again (1 Kgs 19:5-6). Elijah then got up and began to exercise, traveling in the strength of that food for forty days. Forty is often attached to a time of testing in the Bible, such as the forty days that Jesus was tempted in the desert and the forty years that the Israelites wandered in the wilderness. But it is also a time of renewal: Jesus proved himself faithful, and the people of Israel became ready to enter the Promised Land. In Elijah’s case, the forty days reconnected him with God and renewed him for further prophetic work. He traveled to Horeb, the mount of God, and continued his forest bathing in the spot where God delivered the Ten Commandments to Moses (1 Kgs 19:7-8).
Next, the word of the LORD came to Elijah, saying, “What are you doing here?” (1 Kgs 19:9). Elijah complained that his fellow Israelites had forsaken God’s covenant, thrown down God’s altars, and killed God’s prophets. “I alone am left,” he cried out, “and they are seeking my life, to take it away” (1 Kgs 19:10). Poor Elijah. He had taken a forty-day forest bath, but was still feeling stressed. So God encouraged Elijah to look around. Opening your eyes is so important if you want to unplug and recharge in nature. God challenged Elijah to “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by” (1 Kgs 19:11). And what did Elijah see? A great wind, an earthquake, a fire, and finally the “sound of sheer silence” (1 Kgs 19:11-12). The sound of sheer silence revealed God’s presence, and this led to the turning point in Elijah’s story. Filled with a sense of awe, Elijah stepped out of his cave (1 Kgs 19:13). He had been recharged by resting, eating, drinking, exercising, listening and looking around. He had been moved by the sound of silence to leave the safety of his cave. Then the command of God came to him, “Go, return on your way,” and Elijah responded (1 Kgs 19:15). He set out to continue the prophetic work that God had called him to do.
Like Elijah, we need an occasional forest bath, because stress is a big part of modern life. We feel routine stress from the pressures of work, family, neighbors, and daily tasks. We can be hit by the stress of a sudden change, such as losing a job, going through a divorce, or struggling with an illness. Fortunately, God gives us a beautiful world in which to take a healing bath. Each of us has the power to walk away from our computers and step out into the world. Each of us can turn off our smartphones and look up at the birds in the trees. Each of us can escape the noise of our workplace or school and listen for the sounds of the natural world. This passage is one of the Bible’s greatest hits because it teaches us that the glory of God can be experienced in creation, and that it can fill us with new life. Like Elijah, we can escape the stress and return refreshed.
Questions:
1. What makes you feel stressed and depressed?
2. When do you spend time in nature, and what does it do for you?
3. How have you experienced God in sheer silence?
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