"And he said to her, ‘give me your son.’ So he took him out of her arms and carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed." (1 Kings 17: 19).
The room on the roof was common in the Middle East. It speaks both of the appropriateness from a male and female perspective and also that Elijah had a room in which he constantly prayed. This chamber was undoubtedly where he spent his hours with God in constant communion. When this terrible crisis of losing the widow’s son occurred he returned to the place where he had always met God, there in that room.
Like Elijah, our Lord Jesus characterizes the greatest example of having a location for prayer and constantly returning to it. As His popularity increased, people insistently came to Him to hear him teach and to heal sicknesses. What was His response? "So Jesus often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed." (Luke 5:16). The Gospels often speaks of Jesus’ habit of leaving the crowd for prayer. His place was the wilderness, and many times He would pray on a mountain. His time was often evening (Matthew 14:23). The length of His vigil could be all night long, as it was when He chose His disciples (Luke 6:12-16). On another occasion he rose up early in the morning (Mark 1:35). One of the most emphatic records of Jesus leaving the crowd is John 6:15—"He departed again to the mountain by himself alone." (Italics mine).
We also need a room to pray. We need a location that is to us what that upper room meant for Elijah. We need a space to meet with God and a place to go to Him when the urgency of life threatens to overcome us. Here, we can turn to God with the tough questions and seek direction for every turn of life.
For some it may be a desk with a Bible and some helps such as a concordance, a commentary or several Bible versions. Others may be seated in a comfortable chair when the house is quiet. Others will be on their knees. Some lay down on the floor. Some may seek God within a library. Others will walk out to a solitary spot in nature. The place will vary from individual to individual. The importance is that there is a location and that we go to it regularly. It is essential that we maintain that space distant from all other distractions so we can hear God. We all need what Elijah and Jesus had—a place to pray.
