Walk with the Lord in the valley of darkness
Let us keep in our mind that the Lord is sovereign, that we are safe and we are ready to walk ALWAYS with the Lord even (especially) in the valley of darkness (Psalm 23:4) – always being nourished by the Holy Communion with humbleness, love of God and great faith. Otherwise we are full of fear, false statements, never-ending grumbling, and we even lose our purpose of faith and life.
Walking with Christ, even (especially) in the valley of darkness, “never have grudges against others, or lose your temper, or raise your voice to anybody, or call each other names, or allow any sort of spitefulness. Be friends with one another, be kind and forgive each other as readily as God forgave you in Christ”. (Ephesians 4:30-5:2).
Even great Elijah was afraid of another person who was in power. It was Queen Jezebel who wanted to humiliate Elijah and kill him. Because of that “he came to a furze bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” (1 Kings 19:4). Elijah escaped into a sleep a number of times and even “he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:9).
It is good to keep in mind that the Lord is always in all challenging moments of our life which we do not understand. We learn that “after the fire there came the sound of a gentle breeze. And when Elijah heard this, he covered his face with his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.” (1 Kings 19:13).
Fr Stan
Categories: Reflections