He replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” (1 Kings 19:10)
Everyone has a story- a story that needs to be told.
This especially applies to warriors who have experienced the trauma of war. Take the Old Testament prophet, Elijah. In this verse he is telling God his story. Just days prior he had a showdown with 450 priests of Baal. Elijah had won the contest and subsequently ordered the death of all of the priests. But now he was running for his life. Queen Jezebel was seeking revenge and would surely kill Elijah if she could catch him. The Lord listened to what Elijah needed.
Two good teaching points emerge from this story.
First, if you are a warrior who has experienced trauma, tell your story. Tell it to God, to another person, or both. It will help.
Second, if you are trying to support a returning warrior, be a good listener. It will help more than you know.
