Faith and hunting are intimately connected, but they are not the same thing. This article with discuss just a few ways in which faith and hunting overlap and why faith is a key element for the Mayhem Hunt family. I will lay out a few ways that hunting can lead to an encounter with the Lord. Next, I will share some things that prayer and hunting have in common. Finally, we will consider how hunting and our relationship with God calls us to community.
God in Creation
All avid hunters would agree any moment in nature is a sacred moment. We have all experienced the awe of a beautiful sunrise or sunset. All of us have admired the changes in the woods as we transition between spring, summer, autumn and winter. And of course, we’ve all experienced the rush of hearing a bugle, catching the glimpse of a whitetail, seeing a flock of birds or hooking a big fish. In short, all outdoorsmen know that nature is capable of taking our breath away. The excitement of nature is similar to the butterflies we experience in our stomach when we are in the presence of someone we love. The beauty of nature does something to our soul. That is one of the reasons we hunt. But why does this happen? Why are these encounters so powerful?
“Through creation, we come to know the Creator.”
Stephen Gadberry
At the end of a day, we can’t fall in love with a tree or a sunset or even an animal we are hunting, although we can certainly speak of the love of the pursuit. When we see these beautiful things in nature, we are actually invited to something much deeper. Through creation, we come to know the Creator. Like street signs, the elements of nature that we encounter when hunting point to a great Designer that made them and holds them into existence.
As Christians, we believe in a God who created all things and created them well (Read Genesis chapters 1 and 2 and John 1 for more of this Good News). God didn’t simply create the universe and wind it up like a clock, just to watch it from afar. Quite the contrary. He intimately desires to be part of the very creation he made. We know that God truly became one of us in Jesus Christ, who is true God and true man. Jesus Christ experienced everything that we can possibly experience as humans. Therefore, every human experience, except for sin is an opportunity to to encounter God. Hebrews 4:14-5:10 speaks of this great love of Jesus Christ as Mediator. Jesus Christ is the one who can change everyday moments into sacred moments.
This helps us to grasp how nature can lead us to encounter the Lord. Creation is full of the fingerprints of God. Yes, that means that your hunting experiences can lead you to an encounter with the Lord. In short, creation moves us so deeply because it points us to the Creator. This takes us to the second point of faith and hunting, specifically the implications of this encounter.
Silence and Solitude
We spend hours and hours alone in nature when we are hunting and this time is spent in attentive silence. We are actively listening in the silence. Think about your last whitetail or elk hunt. You slowly enter into the place you are hunting, paying attention to all the small details around you, looking for sign of the game you are pursuing. Once you get to your hunting location, you settle in and patiently wait, discerning between all the noise you hear. Was that a squirrel or a deer? A bird or a cow elk call? The more time you spend hunting, the better you get at discerning between the voices and over time, become a near expert in knowing the sound of the animal your are chasing. Ideally, this not only leads to an encounter, but also a harvest.
As I noted above, God desires to be involved in his creation. You and I are part of that very creation and therefore God desires to be involved with us! It’s not simply a bump-and-run encounter. Rather, it is an encounter that should lead to relationship. Jesus is always inviting us to a more intimate relationship with him. As with all relationships, this divine intimacy requires open communication. We open our hearts to the Lord, but more importantly, he opens his heart to us!
Prayer is no different. When we enter into sacred silence, we dispose ourselves to hear the voice of the Lord. Like hunting, we must enter into the sacred prayer space in silence and solitude. It is essential to separate ourselves from the distractions of the world and focus on the still, small voices that are around us. From there, we discern which is the voice of the Lord and respond with our whole heart. Like Jeremiah, the Lord knew us before we were formed in the womb, consecrated us before we were born and sends us to be prophets to the nations. (See Jeremiah 1:4-10) The more we hunt, the better we become at distinguishing between the sounds and signs of the woods. The more time we spend in prayer, the better we recognize the voice and signs of God.
The difference in prayer is that we are not the hunters; we are hunted. There are many voices calling us, but only one matters. The Good Shepherd knows us and calls us by name. Hunting in God’s beautiful creation leads us to holy encounter. That encounter leads to relationship. That relationship leads to responsibility.
Community
The final connection between faith and hunting that I’d like to reflect on is the communal element. Through hunting, we participate in a much larger community. We hunt together and we share hunting stories. When we harvest a big animal, catch a big fish or have an exciting encounter with nature, we rush to share that news! Every hunter has a story to share and a photo to show. When we encounter God in a living and personal way, the natural response is to go and share what happened. The Acts of the Apostles, following the Gospels, is full of early disciples doing this very thing: sharing the good news. Sharing this news gets others excited and interested and creates a larger following.
A couple of key points come out of this. First of all, hunting reveals that we are made for community. From the beginning of time, God has continually called his chosen people to follow him and form a single community. A community established on Christ, who is the source and summit of our faith. He is the Cornerstone. When we hunt, we participate in a tradition that was started long before us and will continue long after we are gone. The same is true for our faith community. We are participating in God’s great plan of salvation and are members of a Christian community that was here long before we were born and will continue until the end of time.
Conclusion
The ability to hunt is one of the greatest gifts God has given us. It allows us to experience the greatness of his creation. It helps us to more perfectly hear his voice. It leads us to deeper community and fellowship. Train for the hunt. Live for the hunt. Pray for the hunt.