The Indiana Thunderstorm: A Peek at Elijah Part 2

     "Ask rain from the LORD in the season of the spring rain, from the LORD who makes the storm clouds, and He will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field." -Zechariah 10:1

     At the end of June, my grandparents marked their 50th wedding anniversary, so the whole family gathered in Indiana (24 people under 1 roof!) to celebrate.  It was a blast.  The whole stay had been meticulously planned out in advance, and everything went off without a hitch.  One of the most memorable events of that weekend, however, was one we had absolutely no control over. 

     Around 3pm on the second [extremely hot] day, a few of us made a move to go to a waterpark.  However, as soon as we got onto the main road, rolled down the car windows, and switched on the radio, we heard the National Weather Service issue a severe thunderstorm warning.  The broadcaster described the storm's potentially alarming power and urged residents to seek shelter.  Immediately, sirens began wailing outside (in Indiana, sirens go off for severe thunderstorms as well as tornadoes).  We stopped at a gas station and gazed at the sky, puzzled.  The sun was shining, and the sky was bright blue and flecked with fluffy white clouds.  However, we aired on the side of caution and returned to the house, grumbling that the storm surely wouldn't come now that we'd decided to return.  At home, the adults went online to find a local radar map of the "storm," but the internet began cutting in and out.  When we looked out the windows, the sky had grown dark grey, and most of the family had already gathered on the covered front porch to watch. 

     There was no rain, no lightning, and no thunder.  Just wind.  An unbelievable display of the power of God!  Trees were swaying wildly under the force, branches were being stripped of healthy leaves, and the gravel driveway looked like a mini-version of the Dust Bowl.  Some panicked and sent the little ones down to the basement (I wholeheartedly joined them), but when nothing seemed to happen, we came back up.  The temperature was 20 degrees cooler now, and the wind was dying down.  I must say I was disappointed.  The wind had wreaked havoc on the trees, the lawn, the temperature, and my eyes (had to flush dust and debris out of them -- smart, Jordan, just stand on the porch and watch!).  You'd think we'd at least get a little rain, or at least some thunder and lightning.  

     Silence.  The leaves were still, the air was still, the birds were still. 

     Then it happened.  The clouds unfurled their fury -- it began to pour.  All the cousins dashed out into it, despite thunder and lightning that had come with the rain.  We carried the little ones and ran around, jumped, spun, danced, laughed, and soaked it all in.  The adults filmed us from the safety of the porch.  The rain had come, and it was wonderful.

     The storm got me thinking.  Many times, God will allow things into our lives that wreak havoc and debris, things that shake our world.  It feels like an assault.  It feels cruel.  All we can see is destruction.  You know what I'm talking about; you fill in the blank.  

     Then, silence.  An awful period of nothing . . . a desert.  No end in sight.  No water in sight.  It feels devastating, discouraging, dry.  Maybe we see some small good thing come from it -- after all, the air was 20 degrees cooler after the wind.  But the silence isn't the end.  God is in the silence.  

     1 Kings 19 finds us in a cave on Mount Horeb with a very depressed Elijah.  If you'll recall, this was the guy who had just seen God defeat 450 prophets of Baal with a fiery display of power.  I could go on and on about the significance of Elijah's hasty retreat, but that's not the point of today's blog.  So Elijah's hiding in God's mountain, and God gently asks Elijah what he's doing there.  A very bitter Elijah spouts off an account of how badly he's been treated, how thinks he's the only godly one left, and how his life is in danger.  Sounds like a desert to me!  Elijah seems to be saying, "Hey God, I've been faithful to You -- why haven't You come through for me?"

     "And [the LORD] said, 'Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.'  And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind.  After the wind an earthquake, but he LORD was not in the earthquake.  And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire.  And after the fire the sound of a low whisper." -1 Kings 19:11-12

    

     You may be familiar with the last few words as translated: "a still, small voice" or "a gentle, quiet whisper."  Some translations like the NRSV Bible interpret it as "the sound of sheer silence."  This is the definition that impacts me most.  Silence doesn't have any sound, you say?  Have you ever stood in an utterly silent room?  It's crazy.  Silence is deafening.  In our noise-oriented society, silence can be deeply disturbing.  Perhaps for you it is deeply healing.  God is in the silence. 

     My favorite part in the Christian movie Facing the Giants is when Mr. Bridges, a mostly overlooked man who prays for the students at Shiloh Christian High School, visits Grant Taylor, a depressed football coach with a losing season.  

          Mr. Bridges.  "Now Grant, I heard a story about two farmers who desperately needed rain, and both of them prayed for it.  But only one of them went out and prepared his fields to receive it.  Which one trusted God to send the rain?"
          Grant Taylor. "Well, the one who prepared his fields for it."
          Mr. Bridges.  "Which one are you?  God will send the rain when He's ready.  You need to prepare your field to receive it."

      The silence won't last forever.  This desert season is the time we've been given to prepare our fields for rain.  "Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that He may come and rain righteousness upon you." -Hosea 10:12

     The best part is . . . God will send the rain.  It's coming!  It might almost be here!  What you have worked for and longed for, that which you have prepared your fields to receive . . . it's coming.  In God's time and in God's way.  It might be a completely different kind of rain than the kind you had in mind.  Why worry?  His ways and thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9), so we can bank on the fact that His "rain" will always be best, no matter in what form it comes.  

     "So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD.  His going forth is as certain as the dawn; and He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth." -Hosea 6:3

     Drifting in a season of silence?  Prepare your fields for rain, and look up!  It's coming.

 

The Line: A Message to Singles

"I would rather do Kindergarten thru 12th grade 100 times over than spend one day worrying about who I was going to marry," said Nathan, one of my college pastors, a husband and father of five.

I think some of us can relate to Pastor Nathan in this area.  Are you sitting alone today?  Is there no "significant other" in your life?  Just plain . . . single?  Well, as a single woman myself, let me encourage you with a few quick words -- a message God has laid on my heart as I've wrestled with this issue in my own life.

First of all, understand this: the desire for marriage and family is good.  It is biblical.  It is ordained by God and ingrained in most of our hearts as something to be desired.  There is nothing wrong with wanting to be married.  But the white blurs to grey when we make marriage an idol, enslaving our minds to wishes and wants instead of focusing our worship on our captivating God, from Whom all blessings (including marriage) flow (James 1:17).  Are we worshiping the blessing or the Blesser?

Second, know that God arranges marriages.  I used to constantly worry about when, where, how, and who until one day it finally clicked: If God wants me married, He will bring the right guy at exactly the right time, not a second later or sooner than is necessary.  It doesn't matter if we are across the country or across the world; He will shake Heaven and Earth to bring us together -- nothing can stop Him!  I began laughing at myself for getting so wound up.  God opened my eyes, unclenched my controlling little fists, and whispered to my heart, "I love you.  I am sovereign.  Trust Me."  I challenge you to join me here.

Thirdly, know that God lives in the past, the present, and the future (Rev. 4:8).  This is where the title: The Line comes into play.  When I asked Him about my future husband recently, God opened the eyes of my heart so I could see a white piece of paper with a line drawn on it.  My name was written on the left, and right next to mine, blurred beyond recognition, was another name.  I knew at once it was my future husband's name.  God moved my heart to realize He's already chosen my husband.  It's done.  Finished.  Decided.  It was written before I was born, even before he was born.  My husband's name was blurred because God knows that it is not time for me to know it yet.  When the time comes, I'll see his name clearly.  

So what now? you may ask. How does this change things?  It's gloriously simple.  There is absolutely no need to worry.  It won't speed things up!  The only answer is to realize that if God's plan for you is marriage, then your name is on a line too, and your spouse's name is written right next to yours, blurred for now.  All we need to do is practice Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your path straight." 

So be encouraged, my friend.  You may be single right now and not like it, but soften your heart to what God is teaching you, and pray for your future spouse; God is teaching him/her too.  After you are prepared for each other, He will bring you together.  Remember, nothing in Heaven or on Earth can stop Him from acting at exactly the right moment.  He is writing your love story.  Keep turning the pages.  :)