ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA, PRIEST AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH (MEM.)

Climb up and look out to sea. 

Elijah had just summoned fire from heaven and routed the prophets of the pagan god Baal. But instead of fleeing immediately so as to avoid the wrath of the wicked Queen Jezebel, he knelt down and waited. And as he waited, he repeatedly told his servant to check the sky for signs of rain. Was God about to prove himself once more by bringing an end to the drought that had plagued Israel for so long?

Again and again, the servant peered out toward the sea, and again and again, he returned with the same news: not a cloud in the sky. But Elijah kept sending him back. The servant must have wondered if his master had lost his mind! Imagine how relieved he felt when he finally spotted a cloud “as small as a man’s hand” (1 Kings 18:44). Rain was on the way, and now they could make their escape.

How often have you felt like Elijah’s servant? You know God is trustworthy. You believe he wants to give you healing or restore your marriage or protect a wayward child. Yet no matter how many times you look for signs that he is answering your prayer, you see nothing. Do you keep looking and believing? Or do you give up?

Don’t give up! Keep looking—a hundred times if you have to! It’s not easy to wait on the Lord. Especially when you are facing hardship or suffering, you want to see him come through right away. But sometimes having to wait is the best thing that could happen to you. It forces you to dig deeper into your faith. It helps you face any doubts or fears that might be lurking in the back of your mind. And it keeps sending you back to the Lord in prayer.

The kind of patient waiting that Elijah showed, coupled with the persistent seeking that he asked of his servant, is the perfect response to God’s apparent silence. Because sooner or later, the Lord will answer you. Sooner or later, he will shower you with his blessings—maybe in ways you aren’t expecting. And along the way, he will produce in you the kind of stubborn, trusting faith that will sustain you in feast or famine, in drought or downpour, in success or failure.

“Lord, help me to keep looking for your coming, no matter how long it takes!”

1 Kings 18:41-46
Psalm 65:10-13
Matthew 5:20-26