T+164 Veterans Day, Elijah, and that still, small voice

BOX SCORE	10/18/24
Element	Current	Std. Range	Trend
Hemoglobin	12.8	13-17	v
Platelets	168	140-375	v
ANC	2650	1800-8300	v

One of the things I have discovered in walking with God is that He actually does talk to people. I mean, it's not audible in my case, but there is that "still, small voice of God." (1 Kings 19:12) That verse comes from a story about the prophet Elijah who is still beloved in Israel. The story happened nearly three thousand years ago. His return to announce the coming of Messiah is anticipated every year during the ritual Jewish Seder meal eaten at Passover. 

Elijah had an interesting role in the history of Israel. One of the most iconic stories of Elijah is described in 1 Kings chapter 17 and following. The Lord told Elijah that a drought was coming and would last until God told Elijah to take action to end the drought. The drought lasted three years and then the Lord sent Elijah to visit Ahab, the king of Israel, who had been been seeking him all this time so he could kill Elijah. 

Ahab accused Elijah of being a troubler of Israel, but Elijah turned the tables on Ahab, because Ahab had led the people astray into the worship of the Baal, or pagan, gods. So, Elijah ordered Ahab to assemble the people on Mt. Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Ashera, for a showdown. Elijah called for two bulls to be sacrificed by fire, one by the pagan prophets and one by himself. Each side built an altar. The prophets of Baal went first. They prayed and prayed to their god for hours. They even cut themselves in an effort to convince their god to send fire to burn their sacrificial bull. But no fire came down. 

When it was Elijah's turn, he cut up the bull and laid wood for a fire. Then he had water poured over the sacrifice and the wood and the altar, not once but three times. Then he prayed to the Lord to let everyone know that Elijah had done all these things at the Lord's command and that the Lord, and not the Baals, is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel. And fire came down and burned up the sacrifice, the wood and the stone altar, and everyone knew that the Lord is God. And then it began to rain, ending the three year drought.

Now, Ahab's wife, Jezebel, had been seeking Elijah so she could kill him, as she had done to hundreds of other prophets of the Lord. So, not long after the sacrifice, Elijah skedaddled out of town and and prayed to the Lord to take his life.  He was exhausted and ready to give up, and he hid in a cave. 

Then the Lord told him to go out on the mountain. There was a great wind, and a great earthquake, followed by a great fire, but the Lord's voice was not heard among them. But after the fire, Elijah heard a "still, small voice" telling him to leave his cave and go back to Damascus. You see, the Lord had work for him to do. 

I have a habit of playing a few games on my computer while I sip my coffee in the morning. Last week, every time I played a certain game, that still, small voice whispered to me to connect with some friends from my past. This kind of thing has happened before, on occasion, and each time, when I made the connection, I learned that that person was in need of prayer. So, today I contacted my friends, and sure enough, the wife was in pain after an operation on her foot that happened on Friday! I apologized for not contacting her before the operation, but I promised to pray for a complete and speedy recovery. 

That still, small voice is the same one that spoke to my heart when I was agonizing over the decision about whether to risk a bone marrow transplant. Now, I am no Elijah, but just as he did with Elijah, God wanted me to come out of my cave, because He has more work for me to do. My call to my friends today was just one little task; one that I could do, while we are still in quarantine. But there are other things that God has been showing me that are coming down the pike. I won't elaborate here, because that would be premature. Suffice to say, that I am on alert for the next step to be revealed. 

While I wait on His directions, recovery is going well. We had an appointment with one of our favorite nurse practitioners yesterday; sort of a progress check. Michelle couldn't seem to say enough good things about my progress, as she reviewed my clinical history. We came away very encouraged. 

I will reach a milestone, come Veterans Day, by taking the last dose of anti-rejection medication, and while I have months to go before full recovery is complete, that will be the de facto end of leukemia treatment. Somehow, that seems appropriate timing, since I am now a veteran of three and a half years of leukemia treatment. 

Oh, and if you don't recall the history of Veterans Day, it grew out of Armistice Day, a day to commemorate the end of hostilities between Germany and the allied forces, thus ending the Great War (WWI). 

In 1918, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in World War I, then known as “the Great War.”(source)

That day in 2024 is likely to be the day that ends the hostilities between me and Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Later, Armistice Day became Veterans Day in the USA, to honor all veterans of all armed conflicts in which the nation has engaged.  

In the meantime, when you feel like someone, someone whom you can't see, is whispering something in your ear, pay attention. It might just be the still, small voice of God. I'm sure He has some things He would like you to take care of for Him.