First a mighty wind tore the mountains apart and shattered rocks, but the Lord was not in the wind. Then there was a powerful earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. Then came a blazing fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire came a gentle whisper.
Category: challenge
The Challenge
The prophets called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal answer us!” they shouted, but there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.
At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is in deep thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed.
Courage in the Midst of Distress
God is good and life is difficult. The life of faith is lived between these two realities.
Many times in our own lives, we reflect the hard truth of that statement in whatever distressful situation we may find ourselves. Whether it is the loss of a loved one and the grief is overwhelming, children or grandchildren gone astray, broken relationships, illness and the dreaded news that it is terminal, a financial earthquake that rattles our being into shambles, or our recruitment into a spiritual battle, we need courage. We need hope. We need God.