"What do you see?" The question isn't overtly stated in the story, but it is implied in the 18th chapter of 1 Kings. There had been drought for three years, and it finally had come to a head. Elijah had singlehandedly done spiritual battle against 450 prophets of Baal, quietly calling on God to rain fire down upon his water-soaked offering. It was a spiritual and political battle the likes of which is rarely seen. The prophets of Baal are rounded up and executed when Elijah hears something no one else hears: the sound of rushing rain. While he prays, he calls upon his servant to search the heavens for a visible sign of what he is hearing. It takes seven trips before the servant comes back with a positive report; a tiny cloud is forming in the distance.
Before anything was seen, someone was listening. Which makes me wonder how often the miracles of God are unseen because we aren't listening. This kind of listening isn't casual, but is intense. Elijah bowed with his head between his knees, doubled over as if in agony. But he listened and persevered in prayer till finally, the much-needed rain came. Elijah wasn't looking at the cloudless sky; he was listening to the whispers of the Spirit. Fire and rain both came in response to his prayers. He stood alone, a mountain of faith because he wasn't looking where everyone else was looking. In fact, he wasn't looking at all; he was listening. Over the last couple weeks as I've been worried about my granddaughter's health, my problem hasn't been her illness. My problem is that I was seeing the illness instead of listening for the voice of God. And like Elijah's servant, I couldn't see anything. Because in God's economy, listening comes before seeing. Maybe someday I'll be wise enough to know that up front, instead of halfway through the situation. Someday...but till then, I am thankful for God's patience, as I am apparently a slow learner.
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