The prophet Elijah stands on Mount Horeb, weary, isolated, and seeking the Lord. God passes by, accompanied by three dramatic, high-energy phenomena: a crushing wind that rends mountains, a violent earthquake, and a raging fire.

God reveals Himself in a tiny “whispering sound”, a gentle breeze, a shear silence. Elijah hears God not in the strong wind, the earthquake, or the fire, but in a quiet whisper. That whisper (voice) was the voice of the Lord. It was more powerful than wind, earthquake or fire. That voice was the voice of faith. Sometimes we look for the Lord with pre-conceived notions of how He should appear.

In the Gospel Jesus goes to pray alone. The evangelist Matthew only mentions Jesus praying at really critical moments like on a stormy night and in the Garden of Gethsemane just before his death. It is at such moments that Jesus draws strength from God and sheltering in the divine intimacy of the Father’s love. To be alone with the ALONE.

Then we have another situation where nature seems to have unleashed its full power in the wind and the waves. And similar to the encounter Elijah has, the coming of Jesus across the waters, which is of course, an encounter with God, we see his power at work in the stilling of the waves.  Jesus manifests his divinity in his mastery over nature in his ability to calm the wind and the seas, not to mention this power to calm the troubled hearts of Peter and the disciples. Their response is not to cover their faces, but to bow down before Jesus, a gesture of awe and reverence which is matched by the proclamation of the Son of God.

It our present times, we are all too aware of the great and destructive power of natural events. And yet, as we experience our often-turbulent world, we should remember that the God who encountered Elijah in the gentle breeze, the God who walked towards the disciples across the waters and stilled their waves, is always at work, always present in the midst of even the worst difficulties, to bring us through with him.

We can take comfort, knowing that Jesus is praying for us during the storm. Hence our calling is to keep rowing, not because the storm will stop, but because Jesus is with you, and His presence brings peace and purpose. Blessings.