Tomorrow night at church, I'm talking about one my favorite Old Testament stories. Many people look right over it because you see the Lord's hand working more overtly in the section before and after it. It takes place in 1 Kings 19:9-18.
In 1 Kings 18, the Bible relates the story of the contest on Mt. Carmel. In an outward show of God's power, Elijah challenges the prophets of Ba'al to a contest. They set up two altars with wood, and, both sides call on their respective God to light the wood on fire. Ba'al, of course, does not answer the petitions of his people, but God does answer Elijah--so much so that the very rock of the altar is consumed in the flames. Elijah then leads the people in the destruction of Ba'al's prophets.
At that time Jezebel was the queen, and she was adamant Ba'al worshiper, and vindictive to boot. She sends a message to Elijah and tells him that he will before the next day comes to a close.
Then, Elijah, the last prophet of God, the one who has been faithful, the one who was fed by ravens in the wilderness, the one who had just seen that very day God's power exhibited through fire, got scared and ran. He ran back to the southern kingdom, out of Jezebel's reach, and then went into the wilderness, most likely making it harder for her agents to find him.
Unbelievably tired, he sat down underneath a single broom tree, and asked to die, like all of God's faithful workers who had come before him. But God has a better idea. He sent an angel to Elijah with food and water. He told him to eat and drink, and then Elijah went to sleep. After he woke up, the angel told him again to eat and drink so that he could be strong for the journey ahead.
Elijah walked for forty days, and finally arrived at Mt. Sinai. The thing you need to know about Mt. Sinai is that it's were God hung out in those days, and Elijah would have known that.
He found a cave on the mountain and went inside. While he was in the cave, God asked him, "What are you doing here Elijah?"
Elijah responded by saying, "I have zealously served the Lord God almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left and now they are trying to kill me, too."
God then told Elijah to come out because he was going to pass by. As the Lord passed by Mt. Sinai, there was a mighty and terrible windstorm that tore rocks down from the mountain. But God was not in the wind. Then, there was an earthquake that shook the entire mountain, but God was not in the earthquake. Then, there was a fire that licked at the rocks of the mountain, but God was not in the fire, like he had been at Mt. Carmel. Then, after the windstorm, after the earthquake, and after the fire, there was a gentle whisper. Elijah took his cloak and covered his face, and finally walked to the mouth of the cave as God had asked him to.
A voice asked, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" And again, Elijah replied, "I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too."
You see, God was not in the windstorm, and he was not in the earthquake, and he was not in the fire. He was that small, gentle voice, so eager to talk to his child. Up until Jezebel's threat, Elijah had been a doer. He had moved, moved, moved, and moved, with God's direction. He listened, even when he didn't know how God was going to work things out. But when Jezebel threatened him, it shook him up. He forgot all that he knew about God, so God had to reveal himself in a new way--one that Elijah had never looked for. God was the still small voice reaching out to him.
So often, we look for the writing on the wall, and we miss the whisper in our ear. Both are ways that God may choose to talk to us. In fact, he often chooses the quieter ways to speak to us, but many times we are too busy or too worried or too scared to listen.
After Elijah answered the second time, God told him to go back the way he came, and do certain things like anointing kings and picking a successor. Elijah obeyed, and finally got back on track. God had always had a plan for him, but Elijah was so upset, he didn't stop to listen. So, God had to do some radical things to grab his attention. And after the dust settled, God was in the small voice, and Elijah was ready to listen.
I'm going to challenge you do something knew. The next time you pray, or have your quiet time, I want you to sit straight up in your chair, focus on a wall, and be completely silent. Let your thoughts be quiet,and listen. Just listen. If a thought about your surroundings distracts you (like that crack in your wall above the window), acknowledge the thought, let it pass, and continue to listen. One whole minute. Set a timer if you need to. Do that every day for a week. Then , the next week, do it for two minutes every day. That's all. Just ask God to reveal what he would like you to know, and sit still and listen. You might be surprised what he has to say.
When God asked Elijah what he was doing there, he already new why Elijah had run. What he wanted Elijah to see, though, was that he ran without consulting God. That in a moment of fear, he stopped listening to God's instructions. God had never told him to run to the wilderness. Where are you right now? What has God been asking you to do? Are you running when you should be staying? Or are you staying when you should be leaving?
What would you say if God asked, "What are you doing here?" He may ask you that even when you're right where you need to be, just to make sure you understand where you need to be. Then again, he may ask you because you need to rethink your path. So, what are you doing here?
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