Canyon Ministries

Quiet Whisper

We’d made a mistake.  We all knew it but there wasn’t anything we could do about it.  The previous night we had camped at the end of Coyote Gulch.  It was a nice campsite next to the creek.  And it was quiet.

Tonight, we were camped at a popular campground closer to Bryce Canyon.  Our site was next to a hotel parking lot.  We heard crying children, yelling parents, and endless horn beeps as car doors were locked.  Unfortunately, that was just the start of the noise.  We were also near a wannabe zoo.  We heard geese, ducks, coyotes, dogs, donkeys, and cows all night.

And to make things even worse, it snowed.

One of the great things about backpacking is the quiet.  Backpacking in a place like Coyote Gulch allows you to get away from the crowds, away from the phone, away from the internet, really away from all the noise that is our routine life.  In these moments, we can really hear.  You’ll be able to listen better to those around you.  You may even draw closer to God as you focus on Him without the distractions.  You might even call that hearing God.  Remember when God talked to Elijah in 1 Kings 19?   Verses 11-13 describe how that conversation started.  It says,

And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.”  And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind.  And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.  And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire.  And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.  And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance to the cave.  And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (ESV)

Sometimes we wonder why we can’t hear God while we live in a life that’s similar to the campground I described earlier.  I’m not sure we would’ve heard God in the wind or the earthquake on that night much less in a low whisper.  I’d say our night at that campground was a nightmare but a nightmare means you got some sleep.

Last night in Coyote Gulch the loudest thing I heard was the next tent’s sleeping pad as my backpacking teammate rolled over.  Sometimes our lives are a wannabe zoo next to a hotel parking lot.  In those times, we might literally need a backpacking trip so that we can have quiet.

Maybe you need to come on a backpacking trip with us to Coyote Gulch so that you can experience a few nights without the noise.  Maybe you need the time to reconnect and listen to God as much as you need the adventure of backpacking.  A Canyon Ministries backpacking trip can give you the quiet and time to make that connection while giving you the adventure of backpacking in a beautiful wilderness.

Paul