It’s time for my morning cloud report (clouds being the theme for the week, for no real reason). As I sat outside briefly this morning, cup of coffee in hand, I noticed a few clouds in the sky. The white fluffy ones for which there’s probably some scientific name, but I don’t know what that is. Nothing threatening. Just clouds hanging out with nothing to do as if they’re on summer vacation.
It’s hot, though. I briefly found myself wishing for rain clouds to return and provide relief. Then I remembered that around here, rain clouds in July often simply exchange “hot” for “hot and steamy.”
Which brings us to Elijah and one tiny cloud.
After a long drought, Elijah climbed a mountain and prayed for rain. Then he sent his servant to look toward the sea.
Nothing. Nada. “Not a cloud in the sky, got the sun in my eyes,” says the servant. In case you didn’t catch the reference, that’s the Carpenters’ translation (“Top of the World”).
Seven times Elijah prayed. Seven times he sent him back to look. Finally, the servant returned with a disappointing weather report: “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea” (1 Kings 18:44).
That’s it? After all that praying? One tiny cloud?
But Elijah saw promise in that little cloud. He saw the first sign that God was already at work. Before long, the sky would grow black with clouds, the wind would rise, and the rain would come pouring down. But God’s answer began with something so small that many people would have missed it entirely.
Perhaps when it comes to faith, God’s promises for us often begin the same way.
A difficult conversation goes slightly better than expected. A relationship starts to heal. A door cracks open. A prayer receives the smallest hint of an answer. Moments that seem too small to matter may be God’s beginning of something big. The tiny cloud that carries the promise of a coming downpour.
So on this hot July morning, perhaps those harmless little clouds overhead can remind us to pay attention to small beginnings. Tiny clouds can serve as reminders that there is reason to hope. And most of us need all the reminders we can get.
Prayer: God, when I grow discouraged waiting for answers, give me eyes to notice the small signs of your faithfulness and the beginnings of your work in me. Teach me to live with confidence and faith in you. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
