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Silent Storms

Storms toss and spin us. They confuse and tire us. Storms will even undo and level us. But as we watch the storms of life come and go, they often leave in their wake a more desperate struggle – times of solace that can crumple even the stoutest of soldiers.

Elijah had just faced the storm of his life. Four hundred and fifty to one are not good odds. His life was on the line, and he knew it; but God knew it, too. So after a long day of watching the prophets of Baal scream and shout and cut themselves to no avail, Elijah stood before his enemies. Before an altar dank from dousings and weathered by time and neglect, he faithfully knelt and asked God to have mercy on his enemies. And God honored the request of this lone, faithful man and sent a storm of fire this world has never witnessed, before or since. Fire fell so magnificently from heaven that it completely engulfed the sacrifice. The bull was decimated, the altar gone; the stones and the soil were burned up. Even the flames created by the blaze licked up the water in the trench that surrounded it.

But for Elijah the battle was only beginning. Barely escaping with his life, Elijah fled to the desert of Horeb where he collapsed and begged that he might die. How could the people not see? How could they not believe? How could their eyes be so veiled? Their idols were lifeless and powerless. Sure, they had faces; some even had arms and necks. But they were nothing; they were wood! Had God, Yahweh, the One, not just proven Himself on the mountain? Had they not seen for themselves that Baal cannot contend with the Creator of the universe? Had Elijah not been faithful to stand before his enemies and boldly proclaim the Truth? How, then, could evil prevail?

Like Elijah, in the aftermath of great spiritual breakthrough, we are often confronted with the frightening reality of Satan’s dominion in the world. Like a bully on the playground, Satan lashes out just to get the last word or the last tag, after the bell has sounded. He deals a blow that leaves us reeling and gasping for breath, sending us into a valley of shadows, which seem like death.

But here in this valley is where God has his most awesome victory. It is in this valley that we can hear can his voice and reach for his hand and follow him more closely. When we find ourselves alone, and are too frightened to look away, it is here that God can say to us, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” (I Kings 19:7)

"Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper." (I Kings 19:11-12)

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