July 15, 2013

I kings 18:44-45 — Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’” Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel.

I started to write a completely different devotional today. And then I heard the sound of a heavy rain. That is, I heard thunder and the sky darkened, and I knew rain was coming. That’s how it was with Elijah … but his knowledge came even before the natural signs. He had predicted rain, and could rely on God to provide it. Ay first Elijah’s servant could see no cloud, but then there was a cloud no bigger than a man’s hand, but soon the sky turned black, and rain descended. Ahab headed for Jezreel, but obviously wasn’t well prepared for the weather, as Elijah overtook him on the way!

There’s a lot to the story of Elijah’s race to Jezreel, but it’s not my main point today. My main point is the way the storm appeared. In a clear sky there was nothing, then a spot, then a cloud the size of a hand, and then a storm … Have you noticed how often the storms of life appear like this. In a relationship, or a work situation, or with your health, or in a ministry everything seems to be going along beautifully. Then a small thing happens, or so it seems – the tiniest of symptoms if you like. That little thing grows, and perhaps you see problems on the horizon. The clouds on the horizon cover the sky, and the storm breaks. The ministry collapses, health fails, the job disappears, the relationship falls apart. What should we do?

It seems to me that an important part of the story is that a prophet – a man of God –knew the storm was coming. Maybe that’s the clue we need to look for. We need to surround ourselves with Godly people who can warn us when things might be going wrong – when the clear sky is deceptive and the prophets can “hear” the sound of “rain coming”. We can’t always protect ourselves against the storms of life. We can’t even always see them coming – but we can improve our early warning systems and perhaps be better prepared. For most of us, if it’s not raining now, it will be sometime!