My journey in the past few days has been defined by a flu-like bug. Slow recovery like the first signs of spring here at Vanaprastha. A quiet journey rather than the drama we often read about. 

A biblical journey

Take Elijah. Queen Jezebel had said she would kill God’s faithful prophet.

Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.

An angel, providing bread and water, touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night, and there God asked him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

God instructed Elijah to journey back to Israel and anoint new leaders who would put the pagan leaders and their followers to death – all except those “…whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.” 1 Kings 19:1-18 ESV

Elijah did as God said. Dramatic, and interestingly similar to a writer’s journey.

A writer’s journey

During a particularly difficult time in his life, Christopher Vogler, Hollywood development executive and author of The Writer’s Journey, decided to walk alone in the forest near Big Sur, hoping to find peace and clarity. A short hike along a Forest Service trail turned into an ordeal. It had rained, so he expected muddy trails. But in several places, the path had washed away, leaving patches of rough, “finger-and-toe” crossings over rockslides.

Three hours into a one-hour walk, he came to a total washout. His hands and feet cramped; his arms shook from exhaustion. He was soaking wet and cold. The sun was going down, the temperature dropping. Turn back? No, he didn’t have the energy—he would die. Give up and hope someone found him? No—he’d read news reports about people alone in the woods at night, falling into some canyon and perishing only to be discovered days later. Keep going? What were his chances? Would he make it, crossing over house-sized, jagged boulders? Yes, but on the other side of the washout, there was still no sign of the trail.

Forest spirits beaconed him to give up. Jump off the cliff, they said, your troubles will be over in an instant. He panicked then remembered the tricksters. He took a deep breath and heard a voice in his head say, “Trust the path.” There is no path, he scoffed; that’s the problem. I’ve lost my way. “Trust the path,” the voice said again. He looked down and saw an ant trail. It led to a small creature trail then a deer trail then a sunny meadow—and the well-travelled Forest Service trail. A half-hour later, he was back in his car on the highway.

Divine intervention, or his own effort?

The human journey

We often confuse God’s role and ours. It’s seems like a paradox: God supplies what we need, and yet we are required to put in the effort. Or as Alistair Begg asks: Whose effort?

Begg: “We should avoid the erroneous thinking… by concluding either that we contribute something to our salvation or that we have no need to work hard as we journey toward our heavenly home. Instead, we need first to acknowledge that we contribute nothing to salvation other than the sin from which we need to be saved, and then at the same time embrace the truth that our walk with Christ must be the single most significant aspect of our lives.”

Take the journey, trust the path, embrace the truth, the single most important aspect in the lives of prophets, writers, and all human beings.

Linkup with Five Minute Friday: https://fiveminutefriday.com/2025/03/13/fmf-writing-prompt-link-up-journey-guest-post-by-lisa-marcelina/