"The seventh time, he said, “I see a cloud as small as a man’s hand coming up from the sea.” Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Make your war-wagon ready and go down, so that the rain does not stop you.’”¹
Anastasia in Colombia:
During this season, I have felt that nothing remarkable seems to be happening as it did before. At the beginning of my journey, there were many little changes and encouraging signs that gave me reasons to praise my Beloved. Now, however, everything seems much quieter.
As I shared this with Him, I felt Him gently reminding me that the absence of visible signs does not mean He is not working. Perhaps, in this quiet season, He is strengthening my trust and teaching me to depend on Him more deeply—not because of what I can see, but because I am coming to know who He is.
This reminded me of Abraham. For many years, he could not see the fulfillment of what our Beloved had promised him. Yet the passing of time did not mean the promise had been forgotten. At the appointed time, He fulfilled what He had said He would do.¹
I also thought about Elijah as I read Chapter 5 of Living the Abundant Life, “As Small as a Man’s Fist”
Before the little cloud appeared, Elijah had already announced that rain was coming. Then he climbed Mount Carmel, bowed down, and waited. He sent his servant to look toward the sea, but six times the servant returned saying that he saw nothing. Still, Elijah continued trusting and waiting. The seventh time, the little cloud finally appeared.²
This deeply touched me because Elijah’s trust did not begin when he saw the cloud. He trusted before there was any visible sign.
I also realized that Elijah had already learned to know our Beloved by listening to and following Him. Earlier, He had led Elijah to a brook and told him that He would send ravens to feed him. Although this may have seemed impossible to understand, Elijah obeyed, and there he experienced His loving care.³
This reminds me that I also need to listen to and follow Him, even when what He asks me to do does not seem to make sense. Each step of obedience allows me to know Him more deeply and discover that He is worthy of all my trust.
Personally, when I go through seasons in which nothing seems to be happening, I like to return to the praises I recorded in the past. I remember the times when He worked on my behalf and revealed Himself through my own experiences—when I came to know Him as my Savior, my Counselor, my Comforter, my Protector, and my Provider.
Remembering what He has done allows me to see more clearly who He is. His loving care in the past becomes like little clouds that help me continue trusting Him during quiet seasons.
This is why I want to encourage you to record and share your praises. Today they may encourage other women, but tomorrow they may also encourage you and your loved ones when you need to remember His faithfulness.
Have you ever imagined how beautiful it would be for your children to read your praises one day and, through them, come to know their mother’s Beloved? Each testimony we record can become a beautiful legacy—a little cloud reminding them that He has always been faithful.
My Beloved is teaching me that even when I cannot see a single cloud, I can trust Him, praise Him, and rest in His presence. I do not need something remarkable to happen before I recognize that He is near and lovingly working.
The silence does not mean He has stopped. The waiting does not mean He has forgotten me. This may be the very place where He is drawing me closer, strengthening my trust, and teaching me to know Him more deeply.
So today, even though I still cannot see a little cloud, I choose to praise Him and wait expectantly. My trust does not rest in what I can see, but in the One I am coming to know. He has always been faithful, and I can rest knowing that He continues to work—even in the silence. 💗
Footnotes