We hunt because it is another world we crave. A world untainted, untamed, and uninterrupted by man’s clumsy attempts to put things in our order, to control and “improve” it. A world where it is an intrinsic impossibility for anything to be out of order. Everything is as it should be, in its proper place at the proper time, purely because it is as it happens to be. In pure wilderness, whether small woodlot or vast mountain range, there are no mistakes and nothing is out of its rightful place. Upon entering such a place, our soul slowly exhales as it is flooded with gratitude mixed with a sort of relief, reflexively uttering with an inward smile “Lord I love this.”
This wild world exists even when we aren’t in its midst, and our spirit beckons us to return to it, knowing it is still there, still carrying on, still waiting for us. Whether near or far, it is outside of our “home”, yet it is strangely familiar, it stirs in us that ancient remembrance of that Garden we once knew. As our boots softly tread the fallen leaves, fertile dirt, and flowing streams, we undoubtedly remain connected to the earth, but our souls seem to have reconnected with something separate, with something more real, and if we allow, with Someone greater.
As hunters we crave a certain experience in this wild world. We may say we desire the solitude and absence from our societal existence and this is no doubt true, but upon further inspection, it is not so much the absence we seek so much as a different kind of presence. We long to be in the presence of the wild creatures we pursue. We crave this presence so much so we are willing to go to a great amount of effort to enter their world in a way that allows us to be in close proximity to them. We want to spend time with them in their natural habitat, observing them carry out their daily activities unmolested by our secret intrusion.
One can’t help but feel the privilege of beholding a beautiful animal such as a whitetail deer carrying on about its business in its natural habitat, close enough to hear them walking, eating, breathing. Think for a moment of the feeling you get when you catch that first glimpse of a deer that materializes seemingly from nowhere. In their presence, everything changes. Your heart quickens, your eyes widen, and your spirit jumps to its feet. This intoxicating presence is not possible unless we are absent from our societal world; we must be “other worldly”.
To each creature, their own habitat. To each creature their own world within the world. The earth is filled with countless “other worlds”, each unique, each the proper habitat for a certain type of creature. By its design, a habitat provides all that is necessary for a creature to live. It is hospitable to the creature, for it was designed to meet its needs. The creature lacks nothing in its proper habitat.
Consider the human habitat. Without much effort, one might think of a place where our physical needs for air, water, food, shelter, and preferably a temperate climate are met. But thinking of the human habitat in this way is like saying a butterfly needs only to be able to crawl around munching leaves as it did in its pre-winged, worm-like caterpillar existence. To say that a butterfly need not go to the trouble of using its wings to take to the air, would be to deny it’s true nature and keep it from experiencing its true habitat.
The trouble with us humans is that we go about living our lives as caterpillars. We limit ourselves to a life of crawling around feeding on the leaves of this world, never taking flight into that bigger and truer habitat to feed on the sweet nectar of God. “God was our original habitat and our hearts cannot feel but at home when they enter again that ancient and beautiful abode.”, says Tozer. The great realization we must all come to if we are to truly live is that we are more at home in the spiritual world than in the physical world. “God is spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24). Because of the atoning work of Jesus, we can walk in the garden of God, with God, at any moment we choose. We can enter the garden, seeking His presence, which changes everything.
Hunting for God’s presence is similar to hunting on earth in that it requires stillness. “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) There is a sign hanging in my house that says “Make time for the quiet moments, as God whispers but the world is loud”. If we are to know Him and enter our Blessed Habitat, we must make time to be still and wait on Him. He will show up, for if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us (James 4:8). Notice we first must draw near to Him and then He will draw near to us. We must first be “other worldly”. Because He is spirit we must enter the spiritual world to find Him, and allow Him to find us. Our souls must take flight from the physical life into the Garden Life where He can be found.
Being in His presence is where we are most at home and where we will hear Him speak to us. Tozer puts it this way:
“I think for the average person the progression will be something like this: First a sound as of a Presence walking in the garden. Then a Voice, more intelligible, but still far from clear. Then the happy moment when the Spirit begins to illuminate the Scriptures, and that which had been only a sound, or at best a voice, now becomes an intelligible word, warm and intimate and clear as the word of a dear friend. Then will come life and light, and best of all, ability to see and rest in and embrace Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and All.”
We seek to enter and enjoy the absence and presence available to us in the wild gardens of this earth and occasionally (seemingly all too rare) we are able to partake in this pleasure. Let’s not settle for these periodic, ever too few, excursions into these wild worlds. Let’s not settle for these physical representations of the Garden Life available to the soul. Let’s enter the ever available Garden Life, our Blessed Habitat, and draw near to experience the Presence, the voice of the One we call Home.