Faithfulness.
“But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,” declares the Lord…. “For I know full well the plans I have for you, plans for your welfare and not for your misfortune, plans that will offer you a future filled with hope.”
~ Jeremiah 30:17; 29:11
cave series, 4
Small points of guidance can, and do, pop up for us all the time—the thought to call and check on someone, spontaneous insight in a conversation, even a sense of warning about driving a particular route. But the larger crossroads of life—like Elijah’s—usually require all three stages in the cave sequence: the pain of emptying, the encounter of communion, and then finally the recommissioning to faithfulness. In fact, this is often how you know you need the cave experience: when your path of faithful service comes to a screeching halt in front of an obstacle, without any visible path forward. Yep, it’s cave time.
Following the story in 1 Kings 19, Elijah ends his cave experience with a fresh commission from God for his life. Three tasks: anoint a guy named Hazael as king of Aram (the highlands of northeast Palestine), anoint another guy named Jehu king of Israel, and finally anoint Elisha as his successor. Elijah enters his cave broken and purposeless only to leave his cave restored in soul and recommissioned for faithful service. It’s quite the transformation and a story of deep hope when we find ourselves depressed and disillusioned. We too can be restored and repurposed! In fact, this is a normal and expected part of our journey, so if you haven’t gone here yet, you will. Probably a number of times. You might as well understand the paradigm.
But the paradigm can break down if we resist the process? Here are a few obstacles to avoid if you are trying to navigate your own cave time:
Don’t die. Seriously, don’t allow your jadedness to metastasize and lose heart for good. Don’t quit. Remember God’s faithfulness in your past.
Don’t rush back to the old job because that’s what you know. Elijah could have returned to his old life after the angel brought him bread and water; instead, he knew had to go further into the wilderness to find deeper healing and transformation.
Don’t resist the stripping away of your old, worn-out identity. Don’t hang on to the familiar patterns of the past when God is offering you a brand new, more intimate way to live and work with God. Realize that the true you is resurrected when the old you dies.
Don’t over-attach to your new identity. I love how Elijah doesn’t force it when he anoints Elisha and hears, “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye and then I will come with you.” Elijah is unfazed: “Go back. What have I done to you?” There is a level of confidence and detachment here that will serve him exceedingly well in this new season of life and ministry.
As Elijah begins the process of training Elisha and preparing to pass the baton, he reengages the essence of the spiritual journey: faithfulness. Most of us don’t get to choose the sphere of our influence, whether we will serve dozens or hundreds or thousands in our life, but what we all get to choose is whether we will be faithful to use what we have been given. How do you feel about that? In your journey, have you been ambitious out of greed, have you played small out of fear, or have you simply been faithful with what you have been given? Big and worthy questions.
Fortunately, the cave sequence is a well-established pathway to reclaim your journey of faithfulness. In ancient spirituality, these three stages are known as purgation, illumination, and union. The term purgation, in particular, is a little off-putting, but essentially it reflects the dynamic of emptying, of letting everything unnecessary fall away. Illumination is the place of communion, the place where we encounter God and receive an infusion of whatever we need most. And the movement to faithful service is, brilliantly, a move into union—deeper partnership with God, as all the saints and mystics tell us, and unity with all of creation. The cave really is a universal experience.
In terms of practice, this three-fold sequence is reflected in the movements of the prayer labyrinth, a physical archetype of these three circuits in life. Take a look at my video on that below.
growing your soul
Are there any cave obstacles that might threaten your cave sequence right now? How would you recalibrate for that?
serving our world
Do you see anyone else caught in their cave sequence right now? How could you be an encouragement to them?
takeaway
Reclaim your Faithful Path.
Watch this video from a few years ago to experience a micro-cave in your own backyard. And if you’re looking for an actual labyrinth near you, try this link!
And this meditation video to apply the gifts of Faithfulness into your personal journey…