The story of the prophet of Elijah of the Old Testament of the Bible, in I Kings 17th chapter, appeared in a conversations and in my reading during this week. One painting above I found in the internet of Elijah, in a listening attitude to the voice of God, prompted me to explore his experience during a drought season, where food and water became scarce.
Elijah prophesied that, '..there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word' (v1). It was following this he was 'guided to turn eastward and hide' by the brook of Cherith. He lived beside the brook, drinking from it and receiving food served by ravens twice a day(v6).
The above two paintings give a vivid introduction to the experience of Elijah living in isolation and turning the season for waiting to know the next move that he was to take. He spent a good bit of the early season of the drought of three years at the brook.
The Cherith represented in Biblical context, separation and seclusion. It was a place where Elijah lived hidden and was prepared for yet another significant turning point in his life and in the history of the people during the reign of the King Ahab.
The details in the two paintings above brought to me the reality of the trial and travail of living in this hiding place. Elijah lived in uncertainty each day. The brook was beside him, but the food was a suspense, till the ravens arrived with bread. The Biblical scholars suggest that in a pilgrim journey there is an experience of provision and suspense. It is one experience, where living by faith takes precedence over living by sight.
I remember that Rev, Basil Scott came to visit Anna and me while at CMC, Vellore in 1981, following the home call of our daughter. It was a time when we were feeling drawn to pursue child development in an active way to support children who were developmentally challenged. This meant leaving CMC Vellore, as an opportunity to pursue that could not be found although we explored this seriously with the leadership of the institution at that time. It is now little over forty years since that decision to develop a Child Development service. The first step was to begin the Child Development Centre at Chennai in November, 1983. We now recall this forty years as a season when we were provided for, in ways that took us through seasons of provision and suspense.
When the brook at Cherith got dried, Elijah was guided to. 'Arise, go to Zarephath... and stay there...behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you' (v9). It was at this place Elijah met a widow who was gathering sticks to prepare a meal for her and her son.
The two photos of this part of the story of Elijah depicted by two artists brought the story into a vivid expression of that event. The first is a marble work found in the floor of the cathedral of Siena, Italy, the date of art work going back to 1517-1547.
This art work of Elijah meeting the widow, while she was picking sticks to cook her food, became an occasion for Elijah to ask her 'for a little water in a jar that I may drink'. He added to this request 'a peace of bread' by calling out to her while she was on her way to fetch water (v10, 11)
What touched me was the 'minimalist' approach Elijah carried in his thoughts by requesting for 'little' water and a 'piece' of bread. I felt moved by this desire of Elijah to be content with little water and a piece of bread. In fact they were 'small in quantity' even for a meal. He having been on a pilgrim journey, developed contentment by having 'little'. The desire to have 'plenty' was replaced by having just enough to live on.
Elijah was on a 'desert' experience in his personal life. He lived hidden at the brook of Cherith initially when the drought had set in. He was later guided to live by receiving provision from a widow, who too had only 'handful of flour in the bowl, and a little oil in the jar, ...' (v12). The latter part of the above verse revealed that, she was gathering a few sticks, to prepare a meal for herself and her son that 'we may eat it and die'!
It appears to be a paradox that it was to such a widow, who had very little to live on, was the person that Elijah was to goto, to be taken care of!
What inspired me was the heartful response of the woman to return with a piece of bread and water for Elijah, which is well portrayed in the painting below. Her son appeared in the painting, holding on to his mother, whose face conveyed alertness, surprise and anticipation. He did not look sorrowful. The painter partly covered the widow's face that one is left to wonder about her mood on her face. The light falling on her face and the body posture of bending to offer piece of bread conveyed the graceful way she responded to look after an old person, needing a meal. The widow baked the bread with the little flour that was left with her. She brought a portion of the bread from the last meal that she and her son were left with!
Elijah looked surprised and was reaching to receive the piece of bread with an open palm of the right hand. His look of gratefulness and gladness was well expressed in the painting.
The painter imagined Elijah to be well nourished, even though he was at the brook, living on water and bread, which the ravens brought to him twice daily. This gave me a window to sense the message of abundance of care God provided to Elijah, although he had to live in austere circumstances. The little food that he had to live on until then was 'large enough' to keep him well physically. In the imagination of the painter, it is a paradox, that a person was looking well even when he had only minimal food for a while. It was a message hidden in this painting, that 'God cares for a person who entrusts his life to him' although he had only little resources to live on. Such a person who casts his care on Him who cares, would live in the tradition of Andrew, a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth, who found five loaves and two fish good enough to feed five thousand people, as it was to Jesus he handed them over, to bless and multiply.
The little we have is large enough to make us live well and experience contentment!
The experience of the widow to share the piece of bread with Elijah came out of the blessing, she received from Elijah before she preceded to bake the bread: 'The bowl of flour shall not get exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain on the face of the earth'(v 14).
Elijah through that blessing, brought a new orientation to her to live by. Our resource may be limited materially; but 'He who watches over us' will make what we are given, abundant enough for us to live well and in contentment.
The story of hospitality that the widow offered brought a new dimension to her life, when Elijah restored the life her son! Her act of kindness became the means for her to receive more grace in her life.
It was when I noticed the bunch flowers growing wild on the road side, I got another insight about the life of Elijah. The flowers were seen in a thorny bush. Our life can have 'rough terrain' to go through, but what springs forth later, is flowers that would be gift to others.
He lived to bring blessings to others. Elijah did not live seeking for more physical and material comfort. In fact, he lived detached from the lure of comfort that a prophet was entitled to. There was a self giving, beyond the ordinary nature in his life. He lived listening and discerning, which brought a new life to the widow and her son. 'She and her household ate for many days' (v15).
I returned to think: 'What is that I can do to bring hope in the lives of others'!
From the two phone messages I received yesterday, I saw a window that was opened to initiate a dialogue to help them to consider options to move forward from a cross road that they face in life!
We are given that we learn to give!
There are times in our lives, when we are made to live hidden. It was out of the hidden time at the brook of Cherith, Elijah was moved to go to a widow, whose son needed Elijah's prayer for his restoration to life. In the hidden experience at the brook of Cherith, Elijah received an unction to be life giving to others!
Anna and I look back to the forty years! What do we see in the canvas of our lives thus far!
Surprises after surprises! Five years into work into Child development, I realised that I needed more grounding in developmental neurology. There was no higher speciality training available in India at that time in Paediatric Neurology. When it started for the first time in AIMS Delhi in 1992, it was not feasible for us to to relocate at New Delhi for three years. Shorty after that the head of Institute of Neurology. whom I happened to meet in a meeting, offered me a position to train at the Institute of Neurology, Madras Medical College, Chennai in Developmental Neurology. The three years became formative years in pursing child development with better neurological foundation. It was an experience of being 'provided for' in a way that surprised me then and now.
What we received during these years through conversations times with families and children, were new insights about how parents journey through their difficult times to support children to attain their developmental possibilities. Most parents are overcomes! They find strength to live beyond their disappointments.
There are times, when life brings us to a season of waiting in hope!
M.C.Mathew(text and photos from the Internet )
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