Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“He said to his servant, ‘Go up now, look towards the sea.’ He went up and looked, and said, ‘There is nothing.’ Then he said, ‘Go again seven times.’ At the seventh time he said, ‘Look, a little cloud no bigger than a person’s hand is rising out of the sea.’”
NL Daily Devotion for Saturday, November 2, 2024
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
It’s a strange little story. Elijah asks his servant to keep checking to see if there’s any sign the drought might be ending. The servant goes and sees nothing, and then Elijah says, “Well, do it again, but seven times.” I wonder if he just walked up and down the mountain, starting up again as soon as he got back to the bottom, or if it happened over time. I wonder if he thought Elijah was nuts for having him do such an odd thing, or wondered why Elijah couldn’t do it himself. All we know is that he does it, and on the seventh trip, he sees a tiny cloud forming over the ocean.
It remind me of the impatience of children—this checking and checking and checking again, hoping that this time will be the time when whatever it is we’re waiting for will happen. But in this case, it’s rewarded. Somehow Elijah knew the weather would be changing, but he needed confirmation, and he got it.
I don’t imagine God wants us to be obsessively looking for outcomes in our day-to-day lives. So much of a life of faith is about being patient, content with what is, open to whatever the journey brings one day at a time. Yet maybe it’s okay to be excited about some anticipated good thing or other, especially when we’re certain its coming, as Elijah was sure the drought would end. I suppose it’s just a matter of faith.
What am I anticipating in my life today? Can I be patient? Is it okay to keep checking in with God or others?
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