Into the Wilderness

Press the play button to watch the video above or press 'more' to read the transcript of the daily devotion below. Please read 1 Kings 17:1-7 (use your own Bible or use the link above to access the in-App Bible).

‘he went and did according to the word of the Lord; he went and lived by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan.’ 1 Kings 17:5

Last year I moved from a house with a relatively small garden to a house with a much larger garden where there’s an area for feeding the birds. I have discovered the joys of watching all the birds flitting to the feeders and the sorrows of watching the squirrels poach the food! I don’t have ravens in my garden, just a few cheeky magpies and the occasional crow having a go at knocking the bird feeders down so they can get to the contents. In today’s reading we have a role reversal; instead of Elijah feeding the birds, the ravens feed Elijah.

This is first appearance of Elijah, in the Bible. He is considered one of the great prophets of the Jewish faith and appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. In the reading today, he is sent by God to proclaim a harsh judgement on King Ahab, whose marriage to Jezabel led to an acceptance of the worship of Baal in the land of Israel. The land is to be devastated by a severe drought. Once Elijah has faithfully passed on God’s message, he is sent to the wilderness where God protects him from the wrath of King Ahab and the effects of the drought.

There are many points in the Bible where God sends His people into the wilderness, or quiet places; often after a stressful situation or before they embark on something new. Sometimes, we are so caught up and busy with the day-to-day that prayer gets pushed to the edges, or even doesn’t happen at all. When this happens we miss the opportunity to hear what God might want to say to us in prayer so cannot respond faithfully, like Elijah did, to the prompting of the Spirit. Taking time to go ‘into the wilderness’, either walking in the country or even attending a quiet day at Whalley Abbey, provides the space and the quiet to reconnect with God in prayer, to be refreshed and to listen to where God might want to take us next in our walk with Him.

Let us pray: Help me, Lord, to find quiet in the chaotic so I can hear your wisdom and guidance.

Jen Read, Senior Church Buildings Officer and Licensed Lay Minister.