by Karen Wood

There’s almost nothing as distracting as waiting for a phone call, is there? There’s that guy you wish would ask you out; human resources about the job interview; the doctor with the pathology report; the case worker from the adoption agency. Waiting, wondering, wishing. Even if you can get on with the normal routine, it’s always niggling in the back of your mind. Are they ever going to call?

Elijah is in a ravine, waiting for the phone call of his life. Waiting, waiting. Once he had delivered his message of judgment to Ahab and arrived at his assigned spot in a deserted gulch, his only company was a flock of ravens twice a day. He had no internet, no TV, no newspaper. What in the world did he think about all day? No family, no fellow prophets, no passersby. My husband and I love birdwatching, so we have several feeders in the back yard. Elijah had an altogether different kind of bird feeder: two deliveries a day from a flock of big, black birds, and non-kosher ones at that.

And what did Elijah do all day while he waited for the Lord to call? Look around for edible plants to round out his meals? Sing songs? Work out? A little stone art? Teach the ravens a few words maybe? Whatever it was that he did, and whatever it was that he thought about, he stayed there in solitude for a very long time, waiting for God to indicate the next move. I wonder if he ever felt useless out there in the desert. Or was he at peace, knowing that God had his own pace and his own time?

Reading this passage I was reminded of one of my favorite poems, “On His Blindness,” by John Milton. You might remember that Milton lived in England in the 1600’s. This great poet lost his sight little by little until by the age of 44 he was completely blind. In this poem, written three years after his sight had vanished, he ponders the question of what God asks from each of us. Milton wanted nothing more than to be able to write for God, yet he found himself hindered instead. His conclusion, however, was that “God doth not need/Either man’s work or his own gifts, who best/bear his mild yoke, they serve him best.” God has somehow chosen to do his work through individuals, especially those who have agreed to bind themselves to him in service. The heavenly King has myriads at his service: both those who are mounted and off to battle, and those who are at the door waiting for their orders. The measure of faithfulness and service in the yoke is not in how much is accomplished, but rather in how the King’s will is carried out, whether by hard work or by waiting.

“. . . His state is Kingly./ Thousands at his bidding speed / And post o’re Land and Ocean without rest:/ They also serve who only stand and wait.”

“They also serve who only stand and wait.” This is Elijah exactly: a faithful servant standing outside the King’s door, waiting to be called up into action. He challenges me to be at peace whether this is an active time in my life or whether I am in a waiting mode. I can be sure either way that God will be supplying my daily needs. It’s not my frantic activity that will please him, but rather my dedication to doing exactly what he is asking of me. Thank you, Father, for your supply, and thank you for helping me know day by day what you desire of me.

Your fellow traveler,
Karen