A Great Fellowship

7 And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. 8 And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God. 9 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? 10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. 11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: 12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. 13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah? 

FACING MYSELF

          She had not been at the skating rink in a while. I go there regularly for fun and good Christian fellowship among us who are 25 to 70-somethings. It helps me maintain my sanity in this world which ofttimes seem insane. She was a new skater and I had given her guidance in purchasing skates that are appropriate for a person who is just getting started.  After the first month she disappeared. She showed up last week.

          We did what skaters do, i.e., we skated and talked for 5 minutes then we move on to skate and talk with other skaters.  It is the usual conversation about what’s happening this weekend and how have you been.

          I told her about how I looked forward to getting away by myself this weekend among the trees and the water and just being quiet. She said, “After a few days you will be climbing the walls.” I said, “To contrary, I love fellowship but I relish being alone.” Being alone prepares me to give my best to people when I am with them. To see me operate in crowded functions you would think that I would be uncomfortable being alone but it is just the opposite.  I enjoy being with people but I relish being alone.

          This weekend I was with a wonderful group of churches. I literally cannot expressed how good it felt to be among them. I don’t believe anyone saw me but at one point, I teared up over the joy that our togetherness brought me.  I also noticed that mine was not the only tear up in that fellowship. I heard another pastor speak with passion about how he looked forward to those fellowships. Shortly after he spoke I looked at the host pastor and he too had teared up because God was doing something special in the fellowship.

          As much as I enjoy those fellowships I relish my time alone with God.

          This weekend I was suppose to stay at a hotel in the area where I fellowshipped. I did not know how to get to the hotel but I didn’t worry because GPS would help me find it. When I tried I discovered I could not get a GPS signal. With all due respect to the people who live there, it nowhere near what I would call, “boonedocks” but it did suit my need for quiet contemplation despite the deer hunting that I heard in the distance.  I love those kinds of areas. I believe I was made for those areas. By the time I left the fellowship crowd and got to the hotel I had a few hours of quiet time and I relished those few hours. They allow me time to face myself and my God.

          Those quiet times that allow me to face me do a lot for me.

          One of the things that those few hours did for me was to allow all of the good thing that happened that day to trickle down from my mind into my heart and lodge deep into my soul and feed me with everlasting joy. The handshakes, the smiles, the words of encouragement, the songs, the hospitality and loving conversations among brothers and sisters – I am tearing up as I write this but all of those things fed me like milk to a newborn baby.

          Another thing that those quiet times do for me is this: It is as if the Spirit of God is saying, “Come here, Perry. Let me talk to you about you in light of what you experienced today.. Let me continue the work that I started in you today and yesterday and the day before that. Let me help you make sense of what I poured in you today and let’s make the adjustments that I want to make in you. And let me further prepare you for what I want you to do next.” This kind of counseling from the Holy Spirit, which comes mostly during those quiet times, is exactly what I need.

          Finally, if you look at me walking alone in wide open spaces you may be apt to say, “There is a lonely man.” Most of the time that statement would not be true because I am getting a lot of spiritual juice as I quietly commune with God. Do you remember The Prophet Elijah in the cleft of the rocks?  The Bible says that Elijah went into a cave and a strong wind rent the mountains and broke pieces of the rocks but the Lord was not in the wind.  Then there was an earthquake but the Lord was not in the earthquake.  And after the earthquake a fire but the Lord was not in the fire.  He was in a still, small voice.  After his conversation with God about himself Elijah went forth and did what God told him to do.  Elijah experienced a great fellowship with God.