Separation Anxiety

I want to talk about Elijah’s, for lack of a better term, separation anxiety.


As I was thinking about the idea of mountain top experiences, I came across a misconception in my head that was actually in my last post previous to editing. I didn’t know why I removed it, but it just didn’t seem to fit. Since deleting it, God has shown me, through the works of some great authors and alone time with Him, why I was lead to remove this misconception.

When I think of mountain top experiences, I think of highs and lows or ups and downs. I would say that most of us have a man made concept that God is above us. This is obviously true in a figurative sense, but not necessarily true in a physical sense. However, we see heaven as some place UP in the sky, and therefore see God as UP there as well. So, my natural inclination when I think of mountain top experiences is to think of those experiences in relationship to our closeness to God. When we are high on the mountain top we are close to God, and when we are in the valleys we are far from God. I now know that I am completely wrong in that assumption, but it gives some insight into Elijah’s story, and another way to see how it relates to our own lives, or at least mine.

Elijah must have felt that God had abandoned Him, at least for a second, because he was so fearful of Jezebel after he had just seen the amazing power of God. In this moment of perceived separation he felt completely alone, and feared that no one was present who would stand by him. So he ran away. He thought that because he was no longer on the mountain top, that God was no longer with him. This could not have been, and can never be, further from the truth.

For Christmas, I received a daily devotional called Streams in the Desert by Mrs. L.B. Cowan. Cowan took care of her ill husband for six years until his death and from her experiences came this devotional. The name of the book could not be more telling. In a time where I have been feeling like I am in a drought, her words are like mouthfuls of cold water. In the January 31st entry she writes,

“ ‘He giveth quietness’ – quietness even in the midst of losing our inner strength and comforts. Sometimes He removes these because we make too much of them. We are tempted to look at our joys, pleasures, passions, or our dreams, with too much satisfaction.”

In the middle of the valleys, as God feels far away, He is giving us an opportunity to lean in to Him. However, the other truth is that when we feel He is far away we are fooling ourselves. If we believe that difficult times are only products of separation from God, then we ignore the comfort of knowing He is never out of reach. 2 Corinthians 1:5 says: “For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.” When I read a verse that uses the word suffering I think physical pain, and physical pain can definitely be a time of suffering. However, dealing with our brokenness bears suffering as well, when we know God but forget His love for us there is suffering. In that suffering comes an opportunity to look to God for comfort and grow closer to Him. Cowan combines scripture from Isaiah and 2 Thessalonians to create this image of what God is telling us:

“I ‘am a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.’ I have allowed your earthly comforters to fail you so that by turning to me you may receive ‘eternal encouragement and good hope’”

God doesn’t ask questions to learn, He already knows the answers. When He asks questions it is too teach. You see this time and time again with Jesus’ ministry on earth, and you see this vividly in the story of Elijah at Mount Horeb. God did not ask Elijah why he was there because He didn’t know the answer. I think He was asking so that Elijah would hopefully hear how misguided his answer was. This idea that he had fought so hard, was the only one left standing and now would be sentenced to a horrible death as well could only come from an idea that God had left him alone. God gives Elijah a chance to rethink this thought by showing Him his amazing power, and then speaking to Him in a close and personal whisper. Elijah answers the question in the same pitiful way. God could have become frustrated and said, “Fine, you are alone. So, you can die in this cave or you can die by the sword of Jezebel. I have used you for what I need, and could care less about what happens to you now. You have had your mountain top experience, and now I need some space.” That is not our God. He cures his fears of loneliness and tells him the plans He has for him.

So, how does this relate to our lives? When we realize that God is not up, or down, or east, or west we will know that if we seek Him we will find Him. When we realize He is as present in the valleys as He is on the mountain tops, we can begin to listen for His whisper. When we get to a place where we feel alone, forsaken, and drowning in pride, we can ask ourselves what God asked Elijah: “Why are you here?” The true answer to that question will not come from ourselves. The true answer will come in seeing how God has been present in the journey to that point, and, in the personality of God, it may come in the form of another question: “Where should you be?”