Message from Karla Mungillo, Central Elementary Third Grade Teacher

There you are finding yourself in some deep trouble. The more you struggle to get out, the deeper you fall. You reach out your hand hoping and searching for some one or something to grab on to. But all too soon you find out that your greatest fear has come true.....there is NO ONE! Nothing, absolutely nothing but the cold lonely air of the dark, black night. You cry out to God, but he seems not to be listening. So what else is there to do but keep plummeting further and further into the depths of the murky waters? You hear voices all around, you scream, "Help, I'm drowning, please someone listen!" But no one seems to care, you are actually invisible to all of them. Some are actually staring right at you, watching as you fall deeper into the pit of sin and despair. You have given up on life, you utter a prayer of desperation, not really expecting an answer, and then you wait.....and wait..... and wait for the shadow of death to take you away......But instead, in your quiet moments of waiting, you hear a gentle whisper,

"My son, be strong and courageous, do not be terrified, do not be discouraged for I am with you where ever you go."

In that instance you feel a warm sensation go through your hand and you feel yourself being lifted from the depths of the water from which you had fallen.

In 1 Kings, chapter 19 of the Bible, we read about a man named Elijah who had a similar problem. Elijah has gotten himself into some deep trouble. He is begging God, "I have had enough Lord.....take my life." God took Elijah on a journey which led him to a mountain because the Lord was about to pass by. Elijah did as he was told and therefore became a witness to a number of great and dramatic displays of power. First a powerful wind shattered the rocks and tore at the mountain. But the Lord wasn't there in the wind. Next, there was an earthquake, but the Lord wasn't there either. Then came a fire, but the Lord wasn't in the fire. When Elijah must have thought God wasn't going to pass by, he heard a gentle whisper. This encounter strengthened Elijah and he was able to return the way he'd come to carry out God's work; all because he was patient enough to hear the Lord in a gentle whisper.

We can all learn from Elijah. Just because our God is powerful doesn't mean he will make a dramatic appearance or give you an obvious answer as in the wind, earthquake and fire. Instead, he may test your patience to see if you really are seeking him. And then in your quiet moments of despair, at a time you least expect, He will speak to your heart, leaving you no doubt that YOUR God is a powerful God, a God who will not leave you in your time of despair.