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Many years ago, the prophet Elijah collapsed in the desert, utterly exhausted because he believed two narratives that weren’t true.

“Lord,” he prayed, “take my life, for I’m not any better than my fathers.”

That was the first narrative. After the desert, he traveled to a cave on a mountain, where the word of the Lord came to him.

“Son, what are you doing here?”

Elijah replied with narrative number 2: “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of Hosts. The sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I’m the only prophet left, and they are trying to kill me too.”

A narrative is a story we tell about ourselves or about the world that we believe is true, but it doesn’t line up with the story God is telling. The story the Lord is telling trumps every other story being told.

It doesn’t matter who is telling those other stories, how often they are repeated, or how “true” they might seem in the moment—the only true story is the one God is telling.

Today, many of us are dealing with false narratives. Stories that seem true, but are not true.

“Everything is falling apart.”

“The world is over.”

“The nation is over.”

“Everything is ruined.”

“We have no hope for a better future.”

Those narratives strip us of our faith and exhaust our souls, the way Elijah was exhausted, and what we need is to hear His story again.

We don’t need force. Or fire. Or the strong wind or the earthquake. When Elijah heard the quiet blowing of the Lord, his heart said, “Oh! I know that voice.”

The most important thing we possess in a shaking world is the voice of the Lord. He is telling a good story, and we get to believe it.

The true story today—the story God is telling—is that Jesus is the desire of nations. Where could they find a God like ours, who loves us and tells us who we are?

“Oh, where can I find a Father like that? One who believes in me implicitly, tells me what is real and true, shows me the correct path when I’m off of it, always includes me and never rejects me?”

No wonder He’s the desire of nations. Everyone longs for a God like Him.

This is not the time for despair. This is the time for reacquainting ourselves with the only believable story and the voice of the One who tells it.