This is the two-hundred-ninth lesson in author and pastor Mel Lawrenz’ How to Live the Bible series. If you know someone or a group who would like to follow along on this journey through Scripture, they can get more info and sign up to receive these essays via email here.
“The LORD said [to Elijah], ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.’ 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.” 1 Kings 19:11-12
A research psychologist named Dr. John Calhoun did an experiment with mice in the 1970s in order to find out what would happen in overcrowded conditions. Eight mice were introduced into a comfortable, two-level, nine-foot square cage. Before long the population grew to 160, and the behavior of the mice stayed consistent. But over the next two years, as the population eventually grew to a staggering 2,200, behaviors began to change.
Dr. Calhoun kept the living conditions the same: there was always plenty of water and food. The temperature was ideal. There were no diseases. The only thing the mice lost was their privacy. There was no space and no opportunity to be alone.
The female mice began to wander around aimlessly. The males gathered in large clusters. Younger mice didn’t fit in anywhere and occupied themselves with eating and sleeping. The mice grew increasingly apathetic. Their energy declined. And then aggression set in. They attacked each other. They lost interest in reproduction. Then, something happened—the population began to crash. Eventually, every mouse had died and produced no new generation to continue.
Now of course mice are mice and people are people. But even if you take this experiment as a parable or metaphor, the result is chilling. God made us to live together with others so our lives will become fuller as we vitally connect. But we are also designed for solitary time, as some things happen between us and God only when we are alone.
Henri Nouwen wrote: “To bring some solitude into our lives is one of the most necessary but also most difficult disciplines. Even though we may have a deep desire for solitude, we also experience a certain apprehension as we approach that solitary place and time. As soon as we are alone, without people to talk with, books to read, TV to watch, or phone calls to make, an inner chaos opens up to us.”
APPLICATION
Take a half-hour sometime today when you happen to be alone and leave the TV, the radio, or any other sound-maker off. Ask God for the gift of his “whisper” today.
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Mel Lawrenz (@MelLawrenz) trains an international network of Christian leaders, ministry pioneers, and thought-leaders. He served as senior pastor of Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, Wisconsin, for ten years and now serves as Elmbrook’s teaching pastor. He has a PhD in the history of Christian thought and is on the adjunct faculty of Trinity International University. Mel’s many books include Spiritual Leadership Today: Having Deep Influence in Every Walk of Life (Zondervan, 2016). See more of Mel’s writing at WordWay.
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