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Spiritual Wellbeing

From a practical perspective, it’s often best to focus first on our physical wellbeing, and yet we cannot overestimate the central importance of our spiritual health. Wonderfully, God didn’t just send an angel to meet Elijah’s physical and emotional needs in the desert. He also had a plan for his spiritual replenishment. God instructed Elijah to go on a forty-day journey to Mount Horeb – the place where God had previously revealed Himself to Moses and His people. When Elijah got there, the Lord – the best Counsellor – lovingly engaged him in conversation, twice asking, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ Of course, God knew the answer to this question. He was asking because He wanted Elijah’s honest, vulnerable, openhearted engagement.

This is a key to greater spiritual wellbeing: being honest before God and expressing where we’re really at before Him. This isn’t only emotionally therapeutic; it also removes spiritual blockages because, in those moments of vulnerability, we open ourselves to God, and He comes close to us.

We read in 1 Kings the compelling story of how God displays His power and majesty through a mighty wind, an earthquake, and a fire – but ultimately reveals Himself to Elijah in a gentle whisper or a still small voice. God may well reveal Himself to us in unexpected ways, too. Of course, because of Jesus’ death and resurrection and God’s gift of the Holy Spirit, we don’t have to travel for days to particular mountains to meet with God. We’re temples of the Holy Spirit, so we can encounter Him anywhere, anytime.

And yet, despite our unlimited access to God’s presence, we’re still called to seek Him frequently, intentionally, and habitually, and this is vital for our spiritual wellbeing. We need to find a time, a place, and a way of regularly meeting with God. Find a time of day that works well for you to spend time with God, as well as a place in which you can enjoy some uninterrupted peace and quiet. In terms of a way of connecting with God, you might want to explore journaling, reading and studying the Bible, praying the great prayers written for us in scripture, following the prayer pattern Jesus gave us (what we call the Lord’s Prayer), asking God to search your heart (the examen), and learning to be still and simply know that He is God. If you’ve never tried some or all of these methods, there’s nothing stopping you from having a go.

We’re on Earth to know God and make Him known, and so our relationship with Jesus is of ultimate importance, spilling over into every other area of our lives. May you be galvanised to prioritise your spiritual wellbeing, carving out regular time, finding quiet places, and discovering lifegiving ways of connecting with the King of kings.