In a world increasingly shadowed by chaos and despair, Matthias—a man deeply troubled by the escalating violence and moral decay around him—found himself walking the weathered paths of his city at dusk. The streets, once filled with laughter and the bustling of daily life, now echoed with the cries of the forgotten and the pain of the broken. The sight of young lives wasted and children abandoned for fleeting pleasures weighed heavily on his heart.

Unable to bear the silence of his own thoughts, Matthias climbed the steps of the old church at the city’s edge, a place that seemed untouched by time. Inside, he fell to his knees beneath the ancient stained glass that cast colorful patterns upon the stone floor. “Why do you stay silent, Lord?” Matthias cried out into the stillness. “How can you allow so much pain? Tell me where is that God, the God of Elijah, who from time to time let himself be heard. How much longer will the coming of your Spirit delay?”

As the last light of day faded, a profound stillness enveloped the church. Then, subtly at first, the air shifted, stirred by a soft breeze that seemed to breathe a calming presence into the room. This breeze carried with it a warmth and a life that soothed Matthias’s troubled spirit. As he lifted his gaze, the colors from the stained glass panels brightened, converging into a beam of light that filled the church with a golden hue, pulsing gently and imbuing the space with an otherworldly glow.

Then, the voice came, not as a thunderous declaration but as a kind, loving whisper, filled with compassion. “Matthias, how can I pour out my Spirit if my children do not turn to me?” it asked, its tone as tender as a father’s touch, reaching deep into Matthias’s soul.

The voice continued, its words resonant and probing, “Where are those men like Elijah, who left everything to follow me, who broke their engagement with the world just to please my heart? Where are those three in Babylon who preferred to be born in the furnace rather than yield? Where is that Daniel who worshiped me? Where is the holiness of that Joseph? Where is the child who killed the giant? Where are the successors of Joshua? Where are those consecrated women like Esther?”

Startled yet comforted, Matthias listened as the voice continued, calling for a return to faith, to the courage and commitment of those who had come before.

“I am here, Lord,” Matthias whispered, his voice barely audible. “I seek you.”

“Then gird yourself like a brave man,” the voice declared gently yet with an underlying strength. “I will speak, and you will answer. Seek me, and you will live.”

With those words, a renewed sense of purpose filled Matthias. He rose from the church floor, the twilight now gone, but the colors in his mind’s eye vibrant and alive. He knew what he had to do. It was not enough to lament the state of the world; he must act, inspire others, and rekindle the flame of faith and righteousness.

As he stepped out of the church, the weight of his earlier despair was replaced by a resolve to be a light in the darkness, to be like those who had stood firm in their faith against all odds. With each step, Matthias felt the strength of those storied figures walking with him, their legacy a beacon guiding his way forward.

Matthias’s journey had just begun, but his heart was alight with the divine promise—seek, and you shall find; knock, and the door will be opened. With that promise in his heart, he was ready to face whatever lay ahead.