Nothing to a little something

I know there are some who have turned from the ways of this world, and have put their trust in God. Many who do so are quickly met with success when they choose to follow the Lord down the path He’s set before them. Others, however, may be met with some opposition. Some turn from the wrong path, go in the direction the Lord has called them in, and for a time it seems like maybe nothing is happening.

What are we to do then? What should we do? Should we reevaluate, and consider maybe God didn’t call us to this path because things should happen faster and easier if He did? Should we give up, and turn to a different path? These are legitimate questions, and I know them because they are ones I have asked myself. I have learned something from this, and I hope to use it to make the journey somewhat easier for those who are in a similar place.

When I’ve thought about giving up God has turned me to a certain account in scripture. It’s found in 1 Kings, and about Elijah. At the time of this account Elijah had just stood up for God against a large number of false prophets, and said God could make it rain. There’d been a drought over the land for seven years, and Elijah had committed some mighty acts (calling down fire from heaven to destroy the false prophets for one thing), and people were now listening to him. He said it would rain. He’d told the king it would.

Time passed, however, and there was no rain. Not a drop. Look at 1 Kings 18:42-43:

“And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, and said to his servant, ‘Go up now, look toward the sea.’ So he went up and looked, and said, ‘There is nothing.’ And seven times he said, ‘Go again.”

Seven times there was nothing. Elijah had trusted the Lord, and there was nothing. Some have been there, or are there right now. We’ve trusted the Lord, but there is nothing. So far it looks like nothing has changed. In such times we need to follow the example of Elijah, and keep looking. We need to keep trying, and keep trusting in the Lord. We may have to look many times, but we can’t stop. Elijah didn’t stop, and this is what happened in verse 44:

“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!”

Elijah had his servant keep looking, and eventually there was something. Something small. This is what can happen to us. After being patient with the Lord, and looking many times we can get the faintest glimmer of hope that things will start to move forward. It may not be much. It may be small. We may not even want to trust it at first, but don’t be deceived. What starts small can become large. Verse 45 tells us:

“Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain.”

That cloud the size of a fist became black clouds. It became a heavy rain. So can the cloud the size of a fist in our lives. You may not even be at the point where you can see this cloud, this glimmer of hope, but I urge you to not give up. Keep looking as many times as you need to, and keep trusting in the Lord. Keep the faith. It may be a while, but eventually things will move forward. There may only be a small sign that things will finally move forward, but trust in that small sign. Trust in the cloud the size of fist. It can grow. It can cause a heavy rain in our lives.