Don’t let the drought dry your faith out
The Rain is coming. Is your foundation ready to weather the storm?
Inspired by 1 Kings 18, the story of Elijah at Mt. Carmel demonstrates the blessing of embracing the drought while waiting for the rain. In recovery, life often leaves us feeling dry, but God’s promise of the rain to come reminds us that when it does, it will reveal the foundation you’ve been laying.
The Rainmaker
As the sweltering days of August roll in, we often find ourselves facing our own metaphorical droughts (and very literal heat) - amid uncertainty, anxiety, helplessness and despair, that can shake our faith to the core. Recovery necessitates an oasis, something or someone to hold onto, just as addiction does… which got me thinking about Elijah in I Kings and how his faith in God was sustained with all that he had to endure.
This article delves into the inspiring narrative of Elijah, who demonstrated relentless perseverance with an unwavering faith in God to fulfill the divine purpose placed within him. His testimony offers wisdom for navigating our own struggles and anything but subtle examples of how our reliance on a higher power is key to the adversity we face on our journeys amidst life's droughts, emerging strengthened and renewed.
In the Bible, among many other religious texts, the prophet Elijah is famously known as the "rainmaker," but I like to think of him as the runner. In recovery, we often feel as though we're running away from something in shame, towards something in anticipation, or in the case of relapse, back to something in avoidance. We're not always optimistic about it either; we're waiting on the other shoe to drop, for hell to freeze over, and pigs to fly. In Elijah's case, we're waiting on rain…in the middle of a drought.
Sound like a familiar feeling? I thought it might.
I was raised Christian, and familiar with Elijah from a young age, but recently began to rediscover his story in I & II Kings. Suddenly, I felt as though I was meeting him for the first time. For the sake of resonance, allow me to briefly provide some background context:
At that time, Israel was reigned by King Ahab, who Elijah confronted stating, "there will be neither dew nor rain the next few years except at my word," as commanded by God. Now, it's important to note that Ahab's wife, Jezebel, was a believer of Baal - not the Israelite's God - and more importantly, she persecuted Christians which made Elijah's position even more awkward (to say the least).
The manner in which the rest of the story unfolds is a rather exemplary confrontation of faith and idolatry. I'll bullet point the key notes for your understanding:
Elijah flees to a ravine where he would "drink from the brook," and eat food provided by ravens at God's order.
When the brook dries due to the drought, God tells Elijah he's commanded a widow to supply him with food. The widow has almost nothing but literal sticks to prepare a meal for herself and her son.
Elijah assures her that, if she makes him a "cake of bread", her flour and oil will be continually replenished until the rain returns. (I Kings 17:14)
When the widow's son becomes extremely ill, Elijah cries out to God in prayer (3 times) to spare his life. The son lives.
Meanwhile, King Ahab and Obadiah (who happens to be a believer of the Lord and is hiding 100 Christians from Jezebel's cruelty) decide to divide the land in search of grass…in. a. drought. The only thing Obadiah finds is, well, Elijah… who tells Obadiah to, "go tell your master, 'Elijah is here'." Naturally, Obadiah is like… "are you trying to have me killed?" But fearless Elijah reassures him that he will present himself to Ahab that same day.
Let's just consider how terrifying it would be to have to confront King Ahab after 3 years of drought that he virtually took responsibility for in the first place. Does anyone see this ending well? Ok, so, Elijah then proposes somewhat of a religious "duel" in suggesting that both the followers of Baal, and Elijah as a follower of the Lord, prepare altars for a sacrifice that they will each have the opportunity to call on their deity to ignite the offering. Basically, whosever altar bursts into flames first wins.
The prophets of Baal are said to have spent the day dancing, singing, pleading, praising and… slashing (?) their own bodies to conjure their god. By noon, Elijah's like… yeaaaa, Baal ain't coming, as he "began to taunt them” saying, "perhaps [Baal] is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling." (18:27) LOL
As Elijah steps up to bat, he reconstructs the demolished altar with 12 stones symbolizing the 12 tribes of Jacob. Then he orders that "four large jars with water," be brought to pour over the wood, not once… but three times. *SIDE NOTE* If you ever build a fire, wood that's saturated in water won't work in your favor when you go to burn it. He prays over the offering and "then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench." (18:38) Yea, I didn't see that coming either.
So, of course, everyone is pretty convinced that the Israelite's God is in fact the God, Elijah slaughters the prophets of Baal, yada yada, returns to Ahab (18:41) and tells him the sound of heavy rain is coming. Again, this is years of drought that they've endured… and no sign of rain, but Ahab does as he's told anyway. When Elijah arrives at Mt. Carmel, there's still no sign of rain, so what does he do? Commands his servant to go back and forth from Mt. Carmel to the sea seven times - six of which he returns to tell Elijah “Dude, nothing's there?"
On the seventh return, the servant reports "a cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea." (44) Which is enough to convince me that the forecast is wrong, and the rain isn't coming, but not Elijah. Elijah tells Ahab to hitch a chariot ahead of the "coming rain" which he proceeds to outrun (by foot?) all the way to Jezreel. (46) It was something close to 17 miles… so, yea, I can't imagine the level of exhaustion this guy must have been feeling no matter how much confidence he had in God.
There isn't a single distinguishing moment in which the prophet displays resistance towards God's commands. Furthermore, he rarely seems to be phased or frightened no matter how dangerous the risks he continues to take in the name of the Lord are. But hey, that's faith.
Here's the kicker: Jezebel? Ahab's wife? Well, she's since caught wind of the whole ordeal and thus, sends a message to Elijah threatening to kill him. This guy has eaten from ravens while in hiding for 3 years, taunted 450 prophets of a false god, ran miles ahead of a CHARIOT, summoned rain in a drought… the least threatening thing has to be this message, right? Wrong. In chapter 19 verse 3 it says, "Elijah was afraid and ran for his life."
I'll be honest, I didn't expect him to flee… but he did, and out of fear, at that. Leaving his servant behind in Judah, he travels into the desert and settles under a tree. You know what he prayed for? Death. He literally says, "I have had enough Lord," … "Take my life." (19:4) This part was a punch to the gut, quite honestly. A man with such vigor and relentless belief in God is having suicidal thoughts. Elijah suddenly seemed more human to me, and less like the superhero I'd perceived all along.
Elijah's story, however, doesn't end there. It's in the depths of his despair, when he's ready to give up, that God reveals his presence. An angel, sent by God, provides him with food and water, giving him strength to continue. God's voice, gentle and reassuring, reminds Elijah of the immense power that lies within him and the purpose he serves. He is not alone; he is not forgotten.
This encounter in the desert echoes the experience of many in addiction recovery. We too often face moments of overwhelming despair, where the burden of our past and the uncertainty of the future feel unbearable. We may question our ability to overcome, to persevere, to stay strong. Just as Elijah found solace in God's presence, we too can find strength in a higher power, a force beyond ourselves that reminds us of our inherent worth and our capacity for healing.
Elijah's story is a reminder that recovery is not a linear journey. There will be times of doubt, fear, and exhaustion. It is during these times that we need to draw upon our own inner strength, find solace in our faith, and trust in the unseen force that guides us. The path to recovery is paved with resilience, just as Elijah's was paved with unwavering faith.
I won’t spoil the whole story but Elijah’s journey didn’t stop there – and neither does ours. We can draw strength from his testimony, finding the courage to face our struggles, knowing that with faith and perseverance, we can weather any storm and emerge stronger, renewed, and ready to fulfill our purpose in life.
Every move Elijah made was by faith, in things he often couldn’t see or hear, but knew that God was with him. Just when it seemed he’d done as much work as he could handle, God reminded him what he was built for – and maybe you needed that reminder too. In the event you’re waiting for rain, I promise it’s coming – but keep in mind that when it does, it will wash away the dust from the drought you’re experiencing, fully exposing the foundation you’ve built. Is your faith ready to weather the storm?
