A Good Word: Wilderness

August 2025

While looking up at the trembling aspens yesterday, I remembered a story in the bible in which the prophet Elijah goes into the wilderness alone and falls asleep under a broom tree. 

The broom tree symbolizes hope, and was a source of food and fuel and shelter in ancient Palestine, and not only for people! Like buffalo berry, clover and alfalfa, the broom tree fixes nitrogen out of the environment, feeding the earth. 

I find symbolic meaning in Elijah’s wilderness resting place. Like the tree feeds the soil, Elijah is fed by angels. The wilderness sustains him for 40 days. Later, Jesus begins his ministry by spending 40 days in the wilderness, and often returns there to pray. 

In fact, nearly every biblical leader is called into the wilderness, a word used over 300 times in the bible. It describes a place uninhabited by humans, but filled with other living species, relating to each other in the complex, diverse ways natural ecosystems do. 

Interestingly, the biblical word translated as wilderness comes from the Hebrew word midbar, and is rooted in the verb dabar, meaning to speak. So ba-midbar means both uninhabited land, and mouth, the organ of speech. This invites us to consider the wilderness as the body through which the creator speaks. 

In these difficult times, it is good to step out of our busy human-engineered lives and find a quiet space to reflect and feel at peace. The wilderness offers such a place.

While trying to absorb maximum wilderness time in anticipation of colder days ahead, I find that spending time outdoors–far from making me feel spent–creates a renewed wealth of energy for life. 

Whether looking up at the chickadees or trembling aspens, walking the dog, or tending the plants in the garden, connecting to the unstoppable transformation of life in the wilderness soothes the spirit, and reminds us that a sacred nature underlies all of life. May you find a moment this week to step outside and look up.