Tawa Baptist

Energy Part 2 – The Soul’s Energy

Scripture: 1st Kings 19:10-18

Title: Energy – Part 2 (Energy for the soul)

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • Treat the cause and the symptoms
  • Recovering the soul’s energy
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Today we continue our series on well-being and care of the soul, using the acronym: HEALING.

–         Each letter represents a word which, when properly applied, is life giving to the human soul…

–         Hope Energy Appreciation Lament Inter-dependence Nurture & Giving

–         Last Sunday we heard about the body’s energy

–         Today our message focuses on the soul’s energy

When we talk about energy, as it relates to people, we mean the strength, vitality or power required for activity.

–         Energy is one of the resources we need to function and get things done.

–         Depression is a state of very low energy or exhaustion.

To help us explore this subject of the soul’s energy we will continue looking at an episode in the life of Elijah – from 1st Kings, chapter 19

–         Elijah was one of the great prophets of Israel

–         In 1st Kings 19 Elijah is on the run for his life after defeating the prophets of Baal. He is at a very low ebb – physically & emotionally exhausted

–         Last Sunday we heard how an angel restored Elijah’s physical strength with food and sleep. This morning we pick up the story from verse 10…

Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces 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; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

Then the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place.

Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal, and all whose mouths have not kissed him.”

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us

Last week I talked about the body’s energy and the importance of maintaining healthy rhythms and balance with our sleeping and eating

–         This morning our focus is the soul’s energy

–         By the soul’s energy I mean things that feed our mind, emotions & spirit

–         This is not to say that the body & soul are separate or unrelated

–         To the contrary there is a close relationship between our body & soul so that what happens to our soul can affect our body and vice versa

–         Nevertheless, the soul needs different things from the body – we cannot live by bread alone

 

Treat the cause and the symptoms:

If we think of our whole person like a tree, then the roots are sort of like the soul, while the branches are like the body

–         Meaning or purpose is like the soil which feeds the roots of our soul and enables our whole life (body & soul) to stand

–         Just as you can’t see the roots of a tree because they are underground, so too you can’t see your soul in a physical sense, but you can see the effects of the soul – you can see the fruit in other words

–         The fruit represents the health (or sickness) of the body & soul

–         The fruit of the tree is only a symptom, not the cause

–         For example the fruit might be pain or it might be joy

–         It might be cynicism or it might be faith

–         So often when the fruit in our life is unpalatable, or not enjoyable, we treat the symptom with a pain killer, while ignoring the root or the underlying cause

 

To illustrate the importance of treating the cause, as well as the symptoms, let me give you some scenarios. Here’s the first one…

–         You are at sea in your boat and it starts to leak. Land is 5 days away and your radio is broken so you can’t call for help. What do you do? Do you..

–         A.) Ignore the leak and carry on?

–         B.) Empty the water out by hand?

–         C.) Patch the leak?

–         D.) Both B & C – patch the leak and empty the water out?

–         Yes, I reckon D is the best answer – deal with the cause (which is the hole) and the symptom (which is water in the boat)

 

Here’s another scenario…

–         You break your leg falling out of a tree – what do you do? Do you…

–         A.) Take a painkiller?

–         B.) Go to hospital to get treatment for your leg?

–         C.) Both A & B

–         D.) Harden up and climb back into the tree?

–         Yes, I reckon C is the best answer – deal with the cause (which is the broken leg) and the symptom (which is the pain)

 

One more scenario…

–         Your body breaks out in hives because you’ve been eating too many apples – what do you do? Do you…

–         A.) Eat more apples to condition your body against hives?

–         B.) Keep eating apples and take an antihistamine?

–         C.) Stop eating apples and take an antihistamine?

–         D.) Blame God for the suffering he has caused by making apples?

–         I reckon C is the best answer. If you keep eating apples while taking an antihistamine you might deal with the symptoms but you’ll never address the cause of the problem

 

Recovering the soul’s energy:

As we heard last week Elijah was in a state of abject despair – he was so down he had asked God to take away his life but God refused to euthanize Elijah

–         Instead the Lord began to restore Elijah by providing him with food and rest

–         But Elijah knows the problem runs a lot deeper than being physically tired & hungry

–         Once he has recovered his physical strength Elijah is able to address the needs of his soul (the root cause of his despair) and he does this by going on a spiritual retreat – by walking off into the wilderness to meet with God at Mount Horeb

 

Put yourself in Elijah’s shoes for a moment – 40 days on your own, walking through the wilderness – what is that doing to Elijah’s soul?

 

Well, for starters, we know that physical exercise and spending time in nature is actually good for the human soul in that it renews our perspective

–         When we are walking in the mountains or by the ocean or looking at the stars at night we are reminded that it’s not all about me

–         We are part of a something much larger than us and our problems

Of course, Elijah probably walked through nature a lot – so he wouldn’t have been as disconnected from God’s creation as a modern city dweller might be

–         So simply walking through the wilderness wasn’t going to be enough to sort out Elijah’s soul – he needed something more than that

 

The psychologist Carl Jung had a theory that we each have a number of sides to our personality – including an extroverted side and an introverted side

–         However, we usually have a preference for either one or the other – sort of like we have two hands with a preference for using either our right or our left

Introversion and extroversion is about where we get our mental or emotional energy from – it’s about what recharges us and what drains us

–         Introverts usually recharge their batteries by spending time alone or with just one or two other people

–         Going to a party where there are lots of people and lots of small talk is exhausting to an introvert

–         Extroverts are the other way inclined – they love lots of activities and lots of people around – being on their own is usually exhausting for them

–         Introverts prefer to process their thoughts internally before speaking

–         Whereas extroverts prefer to think out loud – they speak in draft

One of the things we need to do to take care of our soul is understand whether we have a preference for extroversion or introversion and make sure we manage our life in such a way that our soul gets the balance it needs

–         So, if you discover that you are an extrovert then having a job where you get to interact with other people a fair bit will be good for you

–         Whereas a job where you are alone a lot probably isn’t such a good match

–         Or if you discover that you are an introvert then after a busy week at work you will need to plan your weekend with some quiet time in it

–         Or if you are at a party and you need a break from people you might go and do the dishes – because that’s less tiring than talking

This introversion / extroversion stuff is something I’ve found to be true and helpful in my own experience

 

I asked the question before, what would it have done to Elijah’s soul to be on his own for 40 days in the wilderness?

–         Well, it probably depends on whether he was an extrovert or an introvert

–         I don’t know if Jung’s theory applied in the ancient world but if it did then I suspect Elijah was an introvert and the time alone (after the conflict with the priests of Baal) would have been what his soul needed

–         Too much time on the front line facing your enemies is exhausting for anyone, whether you’re introverted or extroverted – Elijah needed some respite from the battle, which his spiritual retreat would have provided

–         Time alone would have also given Elijah opportunity to process his thoughts, internally, so he knew what he wanted to say to God

–         However, too much time alone isn’t good for your soul either, even if you are an introvert – everyone needs social connection and community

 

When he finally reaches Horeb Elijah finds a cave to shelter in for the night and God gets him talking (presumably Elijah hadn’t talked to anyone for 40 days)

–         God asks Elijah, ‘What are you doing here?’ and when Elijah speaks, the Lord listens patiently

–         To some degree listening releases people from the burdens & pain they carry and in this way helps to restore energy to the soul

–         Listening well is a fine art – it requires both grace & truth

–         On the one hand Elijah needed God to listen in a way that made him feel safe – without judgement or criticism

–         At the same time he also needed God to gently challenge what is false

You see, each of us is telling ourselves a story – we are playing a script over and over in our mind to help make sense of our lives

–         It’s like breathing – we usually do it without thinking about it

–         The story we tell ourselves is like the soil in which we are planted – it feeds our soul with meaning & purpose

–         We need to be careful that the story we are telling ourselves is true

–         If we tell ourselves things that are not true then the roots of our soul are feeding on what is false and the tree of our life becomes sick

For example, when a child is mistreated by the adults in their life they will often tell themselves that it is their fault – that they somehow deserved this

–         No one else would say it was their fault, but that’s the story they tell themselves to help make sense of what has happened to them

–         Adults are supposed to care for me but they haven’t in this situation

–         Adults are always right therefore I must be wrong

When the child grows up they usually carry that story into adulthood

–         They think they are responsible for all the bad things that happen to them

–         They develop a sense that they are not worth much and they don’t take care of themselves very well

–         Not everyone who is mistreated responds in this way but many do

 

So what story is Elijah telling himself? In verse 10 Elijah says to the Lord…

“I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

On the face of it, it would appear that what Elijah is telling himself is true

–         It is true the authorities are trying to kill Elijah

–         And it’s true that Elijah has been very zealous for the Lord

–         He has dedicated his whole life to serving the God of hosts

–         He has put all his eggs in one basket

–         He doesn’t have a plan B or a retirement fund

However, when we dig beneath the surface we see that much of the story Elijah is telling himself is not true

–         The sub text to Elijah’s story goes like this…

–         ‘I am alone in this task – it all depends on me and I have failed

–         My mission was to turn the hearts of the people back to God

–         To make people aware of their sin and lead them to repentance

–         But no one has heeded my call, therefore my life’s work has been for nothing – my life is meaningless

–         Because it all depends on me and because I have failed, Israel has no future and I have no future – so there’s no point in carrying on’

–         This is the story that Elijah’s soul has been feeding on for months, maybe years – no wonder the fruit of his life is pain & despair

–         No wonder he wants it to end

What Elijah needs is a new story – one that is true and good for his soul

–         So that’s what God gives him

Elijah’s story excludes God – Elijah’s story imagines that evil has won and that God is powerless to do anything about it

–         Consequently God reminds Elijah of his power & presence. From vs 11…

Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces 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; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.

The wind, the earthquake and the fire are all powerful forms of energy

–         In the past God had made his presence manifest to his servants through earthquake, wind & fire – but not this time

–         God does not come to Elijah in force as we might expect

–         No – the Lord comes to Elijah in sheer silence

–         God’s presence, in verse 12, can also be translated as a gentle whisper or a still small voice – I guess God’s presence can’t be easily defined

Perhaps the point is: Elijah had expected God to behave in a certain way but when the Lord didn’t behave as Elijah expected Elijah lost hope

–         However, just because God doesn’t turn up in the way we expect doesn’t mean he is absent or powerless

–         No one expected the Son of God to turn up as a baby born in a manger and yet that is how God chose to reveal his presence to humankind

–         In vulnerability and innocence

 

Now you would think after that incredible display of God’s power & presence the problem’s with Elijah’s soul and story would all be sorted

–         But that was not the case – Elijah is not changed by the presence of God

–         When the Lord asks Elijah a second time, ‘What are you doing here?’

–         Elijah answers exactly as he did before – he is still telling himself the same story: that he is alone and that it all depends on him and he has failed so there’s no future for him, no point in carrying on

Sometimes God’s presence is not enough – sometimes we need human presence as well

–         In Genesis 2 when Adam was alone in the Garden of Eden, the Lord God said, “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”  

 

To help Elijah realise he is not alone and it doesn’t all depend on him the Lord instructs Elijah to anoint two kings (Hazael & Jehu) and an apprentice prophet (Elisha) to carry on his work

–         Jehu will deal with the bad guys that escape the sword of Hazael and Elisha will mop up the ones who escape the sword of Jehu

–         In other words, Elijah it’s not over yet, your enemies won’t win in the end

–         Nor does it all depend on you – my purpose will be achieved through a team effort.

–         Therefore you have not failed in your mission – you are vindicated

–         Your life has not been a waste. Your work is meaningful

–         What’s more, you are not a victim – you are a survivor

Finally the Lord says to Elijah, there are 7,000 others who have remained faithful to me. In other words, Elijah you are not alone as you suppose

–         God has the last word

–         Elijah now has a new story to tell himself, one that is true

 

Conclusion:

You know, when I think about the way God restored Elijah’s energy I’m aware that the Lord used a number of different strategies

–         He didn’t just give Elijah a pill and send him on his way

First the Lord gave Elijah food and rest – to restore his physical energy

–         Then the Lord restored Elijah’s soul by giving him time apart from his enemies – too much conflict is bad for the soul

–         Next the Lord listened to Elijah – in order to hear the story Elijah was telling himself, sort of like counselling I suppose

–         Then the Lord gave Elijah a new story, one that was true and life giving to his soul

–         God did this by revealing his power & presence to Elijah

–         And by showing him a future in which all of Elijah’s enemies were removed and he was not alone

–         The work continued with Elisha and a faithful remnant of 7000 souls

 

What story are you telling yourself?

–         Is it one in which you are a victim and God is powerless to do anything?

–         Is it one in which you end up alone because you think no one likes you?

–         Is it one in which the bad stuff that happens is always your fault – that you don’t deserve to be treated with respect?

–         Is it one in which you will only be accepted if you pretend to be someone you are not?

–         Is it one in which there is no redemption, no forgiveness, no future if you fail or make a mistake?

–         It is one in which everything depends on you?

–         They are just some of the false story lines (lies) we tell ourselves

–         We have to tell ourselves the truth – our soul depends on it

 

Two things you can do to weigh your story to see if you are telling yourself the truth or not

–         The first thing is: read the Bible on your own and in conversation with other Christians and as you read ask God to reveal the truth he wants you to know and to dismantle the lies you have come to believe

–         The second thing is: Find a good counsellor – someone who will listen to you with grace & truth – someone you feel safe with, who will gently challenge what is false in your story and affirm what is true

Jesus said, it’s the truth that sets us free

 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

1.)    What stands out for you in reading this Scripture and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    Where does the soul’s energy come from? (What feeds your soul?)

3.)    What do you think 40 days alone, walking through the wilderness, would do to Elijah’s soul?

4.)    Would you say you were an extrovert or an introvert?

–         What energises you?

–         What drains you?

–         Is your life organised in a way that gives your soul the balance it needs?

–         If not, what might need to change for that to happen?

5.)    What does it mean to listen well (with grace & truth)?

–         How might we be a safe listener?

–         When listening to others how might we gently challenge what is false?

–         How might we affirm what is true?

6.)    What is the underlying cause of Elijah’s despair?

–         (That is: What is wrong with the story he is telling himself?)

–         How does God give Elijah a new story?

7.)    What story are you telling yourself?

–         How might you verify what is true in your story and identify what is false?

8.)    Take some time this week to reflect on the meaning of verses 11-12, in its various translations. (E.g. sheer silence, still small voice, gentle whisper…)

–         What is God saying to you in these verses?

 

Tawa Baptist

Energy Part 1 – The Body’s Energy

Scripture: 1st Kings 19:1-9

Title: Energy – Part 1

Structure:

  • Introduction
  • The body’s energy
  • Conclusion

Introduction:

Today we continue our series on well-being and care of the soul, using the acronym: HEALING.

–         Each letter represents a word which, when properly applied, is life giving to the human soul…

–         Hope Energy Appreciation Lament Inter-dependence Nurture & Giving

–         Last Sunday we heard about hope

–         Today our message focuses on energy

 

When we talk about energy, as it relates to people, we mean the strength, vitality or power required for activity.

–         Energy is one of the resources we need to function and get things done.

–         Depression is a state of very low energy or exhaustion.

To help us explore this subject of energy we are going to look at an episode in the life of Elijah – from 1st Kings, chapter 19

–         Elijah was one of the great prophets of Israel

–         He lived at a time in Israel’s history when it wasn’t easy to follow the Lord – in fact the queen (Jezebel) wanted Elijah dead

–         In 1st Kings 19 Elijah is on the run for his life after defeating the prophets of Baal. He is at a very low ebb – physically & emotionally exhausted

–         From verse 1 we read…

Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets [of Baal] with the sword.  So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I don’t do the same thing to you.”

Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there,

But [Elijah] himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep.

Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, “Get up and eat.” He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again.

The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.” He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there.

May the Spirit of Jesus illuminate God’s word for us

 

This morning I had planned to talk about two types of energy

–         Body energy and soul energy

–         But as I got into the preparation it became evident that I wasn’t going to be able to say everything I needed to in just one sermon

–         So, rather than having one really long message, I’ve decided to break it into two messages over two Sundays – focusing on the body’s energy today and looking at the soul’s energy next week

By ‘body energy’ I mean physical things like food & sleep

–         And by ‘soul energy’ I mean things that feed our mind, emotions & spirit

–         This is not to say that the body & soul are separate or unrelated

–         To the contrary there is a close relationship between our body & soul so that what happens to our soul can affect our body and vice versa

–         Nevertheless, the soul needs different things from the body – we cannot live by bread alone

–         But as I said before we’ll look at the soul’s energy next week – this morning is about the body’s energy

 

Body energy:

Since we are talking about the body, let’s have a little game of charades

–         I’ll mime something and you need to guess what it is I’m miming

o   Mime dancing a waltz

o   Mime riding a bike

o   Mime bowling a cricket ball

 

Now there are two skills each of these activities require – would anyone like to guess what they are?

–         (And if you need a clue the answer is on the back of the newsletter)

–         That’s right – rhythm and balance

 

Two things that help to support our energy levels are rhythm & balance

–         It’s like riding a bike – to keep the bike upright and moving forward you need to maintain the rhythm of your pedalling and your balance

–         If your rhythm is disturbed then it takes more energy to pedal – and if you go too fast or too slow you risk losing your balance and falling off

 

Just as rhythm & balance are essential when riding a bike or dancing, so too our body & soul are supported by rhythm & balance

–         To put it in more practical terms, if life gets out of balance – if we work too hard or don’t keep regular rhythms of eating & sleeping then our energy levels will be depleted

 

Elijah has been on a roller coaster – his lifestyle has lacked rhythm & balance

–         Consequently, in 1st Kings 19, we find Elijah at his lowest point

–         Jezebel wants him dead and he is running in fear for his life

–         Elijah feels isolated & alone – physically & emotionally exhausted

–         He has lost perspective – unable to see anything good in the future

–         He would rather be dead than carry on so he asks God to take his life

–         This is not suicide, at least not exactly, but it’s pretty close to it

–         Elijah is asking God to euthanize him

–         I don’t think Elijah actually wants to die – otherwise why would he be running away to save his life

–         But he does appear to be in a great deal of pain or distress and simply wants that distress to end

 

You’ve got to love the honesty of the Bible – they tell the story warts and all

–         This is shocking – how did Elijah get into such a despairing state?

–         In my mind Elijah is like the Yoda of Old Testament prophets – he’s like a Jedi master

–         On one occasion Elijah raised a widow’s son from the dead

–         Everything he predicts comes true and, less than 24 hours earlier, he won a massive victory over the priests of Baal

–         One would think that someone who was as strong in faith and as close to God as Elijah was would be immune from burn out & despair

 

Well, no. Being a servant of God does not give us immunity from despair

–         Following Jesus usually involves a dark night of the soul, at some stage

–         Yes, Jesus came to give us abundant life but the road to abundant life is sometimes marked by emptiness & pain

–         When we feel down we might think that God is not happy with us or that he is absent or that our faith is somehow faulty – but that’s not true

–         Jesus said,  “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”

–         Or as Eugene Peterson puts it, “You are blessed when you feel at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule”

–         You see, our feelings are not a reliable gauge of our faith – just as our energy levels are no indicator of the status of our relationship with God

 

In a strange way Elijah’s despair actually gives us hope

–         If we find ourselves stressed out, burned out, anxious and wishing our life was over, then we can read Elijah’s story and know that we are not alone

–         Not only that but we can know that God doesn’t give up on people – so there is a way through, healing is an option

–         People matter to God – we are not a disposable item to him

–         God refuses to euthanize Elijah – he doesn’t accept Elijah’s resignation

–         God would rather restore people and continue to use them in his service, despite our weakness and imperfection

–         God’s grace was sufficient for Elijah and it is sufficient for us

 

The Lord starts the restoration process by taking care of Elijah’s physical needs

–         He sends an angel who provides food and water for the exhausted prophet – Elijah is given time to eat and rest

–         It seems so obvious that it doesn’t need to be mentioned but food & sleep are essential to sustaining our body’s energy

 

We sang that song at the beginning of the service…

–         The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning…

–         We can’t always recognise God’s mercies at the end of the day when we are tired, but after a good night’s sleep our perspective returns and we can see the good news again

 

One of the keys to good quality sleep is rhythm – going to bed and getting up at the same time every day

–         Now I know this isn’t always possible, especially when you are caring for children, but you do the best you can under the circumstances

–         And if you miss a bit of sleep you don’t worry – you know you will cope and you can catch up later

 

Another key to maintaining bodily energy and quality sleep is physical exercise

–         I remember working as a builder’s labourer during one summer holidays

–         Building means an early start and it’s physically demanding – shifting dirt, lifting wood, swinging a hammer and being on your feet all day

–         It’s also mentally demanding in that you have to think about the smartest way to get something done without causing problems for anyone else

–         Man was I tired in the evening – I slept soundly for 9 hours in a row every night – but I had the physical energy I needed during the day

 

If we sit around all day looking at a screen then we can’t expect to get to sleep easily or to stay asleep for long

–         Incidentally, on the subject of screen time, you will improve your chances of getting to sleep if you turn off your devices an hour or two before going to bed – give yourself some time to wind down at night

 

The food we eat and the time we eat also affects our sleep

–         Everyone’s metabolism is a little bit different so you’ve got to work out what the best routine is for you

–         But generally speaking we tend to function better if we have a bigger meal at breakfast or lunch and eat a bit less in the evening

–         With diet the key is balance – not overdoing (or underdoing) anything

–         Sugar and caffeine are stimulants so we don’t need too much of that stuff, especially just before bed

–         Alcohol is a depressant so if we are already feeling a bit down then having a wine or a beer or a whisky is only going to make it worse

–         Having said that, it’s okay to have the odd coffee, or chocolate bar or beer, so long as you don’t have a problem with those sort of things

–         It’s like the Proverb says: If you find honey eat as much as is good for you – too much will make you sick [1]

–         The Biblical principle is self-control – you be in charge of your appetite, not the other way round

 

Much of what I’m saying is common sense and you’ve probably heard it before but for some strange reason it still takes most of us quite a while to learn to take care of our body’s energy

 

Another thing that helps with sleep is social connection

–         A neuroscientist by the name of John Cacioppo teamed up with some anthropologists and did some research on loneliness

–         What they found is that people who are lonely tend to have poor quality sleep while people with a strong sense of social connection sleep better [2]

 

Now you might wonder, how do they know this?

–         Well, anywhere in the world where people describe being lonely, they will also experience more ‘micro-awakenings’ throughout their sleep.

–         A micro awakening is a small moment in which you rise a little from your slumber. You are not likely to remember it the next day

–         But if you’ve got one of those Apple watches it will probably tell you

–         You can get an app that monitors your sleep these days

–         Apparently if we feel isolated or alone our brain won’t let us go into full sleep mode, because sub-consciously we don’t feel safe – we think no one has got our back

 

There’s a religious community in the States called the Hutterites

–         They are sort of like the Amish – they live off the land and work and eat and worship together

–         I don’t know what their theology is like but apparently they are a really close knit community where everyone has got everybody else’s back

–         When John and his team wired up people in the Hutterite community, they found the Hutterites had barely any micro-awakenings – because they had good social connections & could relax into a deep sleep

 

This relationship between healthy social connections and good quality sleep is an example of the way our body & soul interact

 

When we look at 1st Kings 19 the text makes it clear that Elijah felt completely alone

–         Not only was he physically alone in the wilderness under a solitary broom tree – he also says to the Lord, later on in the chapter…

–         ‘…I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.’

–         Elijah had good reason to feel anxious – in his isolation he believed no one had his back

 

Twice the angel touches Elijah to wake him up and prompt him to eat

–         It seems like a pretty ordinary detail but the angel wasn’t just feeding Elijah – the angel was also helping to calm Elijah

 

A couple of weeks ago a group of us from this church went to a seminar, led by Tricia Hendry, on how to support people who experience anxiety and it was really helpful

–         One of the practical things they taught us is how to help someone when they are extremely anxious and having a panic attack

 

The first thing is to stay calm yourself and the way to calm yourself, when you are holding anxious energy, is to breathe deeply and slowly

–         Not short shallow breaths from your chest but deep slow breaths from your stomach, like this [demonstrate breathing in & out]

–         Simply doing that will control your energy and the anxious person beside you will begin to catch your calmness

 

The other thing we can do to help people in an anxious state is get them to engage their senses

–         Using our senses grounds us – it brings us back to reality

 

So our bodies have five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell

–         If someone is acutely anxious you can say to them something like, ‘Look at the bird in the tree over there.’

–         Then they stop thinking about what is making them anxious and they start thinking about the bird in the tree

–         Or, if you know them well enough, you could simply touch them on the arm like this or hold their hand

–         Physical touch can be quite powerful really – it says in a tangible way, you are not alone, I am here with you

–         The other thing you can do is sit them down and give them something to eat or drink

–         In the old days when someone was upset the remedy was to give them a cup of tea to calm them down

–         That’s practical wisdom – it actually works to do that because it engages the person’s senses of taste and smell

 

Getting back to Elijah – the prophet was afraid, for good reason, so the angel calms Elijah’s fears by engaging his senses

–         First he touches Elijah, to wake him up

–         Then he speaks to Elijah, ‘have something to eat & drink’ – that engages Elijah’s sense of hearing

–         Elijah looks at the food and water jar beside him – so he’s using his sight

–         The cake is cooking on a hot stone therefore Elijah can smell it

–         Finally he tastes it

–         Throughout this simple process Elijah is not thinking about Jezebel (who makes him feel unsafe) – he’s thinking about food which comforts him

–         Touch, hearing, sight, smell and taste – the angel calms Elijah by engaging all five senses

–         This grounds Elijah in the reality that he is alive and he’s actually okay

–         God is our creator – he made us, he knows how we function and how to make us calm

 

Conclusion:

Once the Lord has addressed Elijah’s physical needs the prophet is then able to deal with the issues in his soul which are emptying him of the energy of hope

–         The Salvation Army have a saying: ‘Soup, soap and salvation’

–         The idea is that when someone comes to them for help they first take care of the body, with a meal and a bath, then they take care of the soul, with a conversation about Jesus

–         So the application for us is that when we feel exhausted the first step is to recover our body’s energy, through food and rest – then we will have the strength to attend to the deeper needs of our soul

–         Or if we feel overly anxious the first step is to breathe deeply and engage our senses to become calm – then we are in a better position to attend to whatever is troubling our soul and causing us anxiety

 

So often our modern response is to treat the body and stop there

–         But the root of the problem isn’t normally found in the body, the root of the problem is usually found in the soul

–         The body simply bears the fruit of the problem

 

That’s enough for today though – we’ll talk about the soul’s energy next week

 

Questions for discussion or reflection:

1.)    What stands out for you in reading these Scriptures and/or in listening to the sermon?

2.)    What is energy?

3.)    What are some things we can do to support our body’s energy?

–         What is one thing in particular you need to do to care for your body?

–         (E.g. better sleep routines, change in diet, etc.)

4.)     How does God care for Elijah and restore his physical energy?

5.)    What are some practical things we can do to help calm someone who is experiencing acute anxiety or a panic attack?

6.)    Why did Elijah need to attend to the needs of his body before attending to the needs of his soul?

7.)    Take some time this week to sit still and breathe deeply from your stomach – say once or twice a day for 5 or 10 minutes (or as the opportunity allows)

[1] Proverbs 25:16

[2] Johann Hari, ‘Lost Connections’, page 78ff.