The Cave
The Cave speaks of time alone with God. A place of safety. A place, at times, to run and hide when things become too much. It is also a place of peace and quiet, a retreat from the frantic pace of life. It is a place to be still… and know that He is God. (Psalm 46:10)
If we look through the Bible, the Cave is not always a good place to be.
There are stories like that of Lot and his daughters (Genesis 19:30ff) or the Five Amorite Kings (Joshua 10:16ff) that serve as clear reminders of the dangers of the cave…
However… there are also many more stories that remind us that God does some of His best work in caves.
One of my favorite caves in the Bible is the Cave of Adullum where David hid, in fear for his life, when King Saul was hunting him down to kill him. In 1 Samuel 22:2 we are told that he was joined there by…
All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him.
In vs 4 David says that he wanted to stay there until he could learn what God will do for me?
As we follow the story through… we later find, this rag tag gathering become known as David’s mighty men.
In 1 Kings 19 we read of the events following Elijah’s great victory over the Prophets of Baal on Mt Carmel. With his life under threat from Queen Jezebel, Elijah goes into hiding in a cave on Mt Horeb, the Mountain of God. From vs 9ff, we can read the story of God coming and speaking to Elijah, vs 11 & 12
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart
and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.
And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
The cave also plays a significant role in the New Testament narrative.
It seems, most likely, that the place where Jesus was born (Luke 2) was less a stable in the sense of what we might picture a wooden lean-to, but actually a cave dug into a hillside. Therefore it was in a cave that the Shepherds first met the Saviour of the world.
And we can’t forget Jesus standing at the entrance of the cave in which the body of Lazarus had been laid three days earlier (John 11), and Jesus speaks those lifegiving words… Lazarus, come out!
Of course, the most famous cave, where God did His greatest work… is known the world around, as ‘the empty tomb’. (Luke 24)
It’s true…
God does some of His best work in caves.
To help us make the most of our Cave time, our time alone with God, we seek to explore and engage in a variety of time-tested practices known as Spiritual Disciplines. All of them have value and some are more central to a healthy spiritual life than others. Some personalities etc will gain greater benefit from certain practices however we would strongly encourage you to give each a go. You will not know until you try.
“God does not need our disciplines in order to find us.
Ruth Haley Barton, Pursuing God’s Will Together
We need discipline in order to bring some structure
to our intent to open ourselves to God – alone and together.
Our desire and intent is what we bring, and God does the rest.”
The encouragement is to “Start small—start slow”. Our prayer is that, over time, these would increasingly become a natural and profoundly beneficial part of the rhythm of life for all who call The Chapel home.
If you have anything to share from your experience with of any of the Spiritual Disciplines, we would love to hear. None of us are experts and your story may just be the encouragement that someone else needs.
Please click here to email me.
Recommended Reading
The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard
Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster