Hope in the storm.

Storm Eowyn is all around us just now- there are violent squalls, dancing trees and thunderous waves crashing on our shorelines. The noise of the winds overnight have kept people awake, and hopefully as many people as possible are inside. We pray for people to keep safe, and think of people who have to work, the homeless and the vulnerable who are at risk.

I feel so fortunate as I am warm and dry- I am in a place of shelter, and I am reminded of Elijah who took refuge from his life in a cave on Mount Horeb. He was exhausted and fed up and questioning. In 1 Kings 19 we hear of his story. In a dark moment in his life an angel appears beside him, and gives him food and drink, and then leads him to this cave- a journey of 40 days and nights. 

Whilst Elijah is in the cave- he is told that the Lord is about to pass by, and there is a powerful wind and storm.  Elijah waits for a message from God, but it comes not from the wind, or earthquake or fire, but in a gentle whisper. And God’s message to him gives him a new way forward and people around him to help. And he is reminded that he is not alone.

We all have our time of being in the cave- a place of darkness and exhaustion, but it can also be a place where we surrender our pride or any illusion that we can fix things by ourselves. In a safe place just with God, we can be completely honest about our failures, our struggles, our doubts, our worries, our woundedness. It is a place where we can open our hearts.

For Elijah, he felt as if he had failed and that his life was worthless. Yet God had mercy on him, sends an angel to tender to him, gives him time to physically recover, and then speaks to him words of encouragement. In that safe spiritual place where we speak with and listen to God, I believe that He has a message of love and grace for us, and message of restoration and hope. We just need to find our safe place, and pray for the Holy Spirit to speak to us, so we can find new strength and healing.

Eternal Father, we thankyou that You see us, and that You look upon us with love. Sometimes we feel like Elijah, worn down or disillusioned with life, and we cry out to You. Thankyou that You send angels to minister to us, that You care for our physical needs, and then speak to our souls in the most unexpected of ways, even a still small voice. Lord Jesus, in your earthly life, You took time away from people just to be with your Father, and to enjoy His presence. May we too, at the prompting of your Holy Spirit, take that time, to hear your Word in season, to know your healing, and to rediscover hope, even in the midst of the storm, for Jesus sake, Amen.