JUNE142024

Elijah, hiding from his enemies, is seeking some word from God. God is not found in all the drama — the volcano, the earthquake, the hurricane — but in the “tiny whispering sound.” Reflections on this passage often stress how important it is to quiet our hearts so that we can hear the tiny whisper of God’s word to us. A good lesson. However, there is another aspect of the story we should notice as well. Elijah complains to God that all of his efforts for God have led to grief. He has not accomplished his plans for the restoration of Israel. The tiny whisper tells Elijah to do some succession planning! He is not going to complete what he saw as his mission. Instead, he is going to anoint kings and prophets after him to carry on his work. Often in life we have a sense of incompleteness. My mother on her deathbed rued the fact that she would not see her grandchildren grow up. The plan of God often requires that we surrender our need to succeed to trusting in God’s will for us and those we love.