I Kings 19: 11-13
“The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord,
for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart
and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.
And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
When Elijah heard it, he pulled cloak over his face
and went and stood at the mouth of the cave.”
for the Lord is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart
and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.
And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
When Elijah heard it, he pulled cloak over his face
and went and stood at the mouth of the cave.”
Then a voice said to him,
“What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Can you imagine what Elijah just witnessed? Wind literally tore the mountains apart. Growing up in south Louisiana I’m familiar with high winds. I’ve seen hurricane-force winds lean trees over not momentarily….but for hours! The wind can be impressive. After the wind God shook the ground with an earthquake. Can you just see the crumbled mountains being shaken on their weak foundations and the avalanche that followed. “But the Lord was not in the earthquake.” Surely at this point Elijah is quite aware that God was making a point. After the earthquake, the Lord sent fire, I’d say as a visual display of His authority and ultimate control-even over the elements. But, “the Lord was not in the fire.”
I wonder which of these miraculous displays hit Elijah the hardest; you know-hit closest to home.
“After the fire came a gentle whisper.”
I’d have to say the gentle whisper probably made the greatest impact! Compassionately; quietly, in a simple whisper God asked a very basic question; “What are you doing here”. I believe at times God asks the same of us.
If only we could hear the voice of God when we’re at our lowest. Elijah was running for his life. Fortunately, we don’t frequently have to do such things. Sometimes, however, we do have to battle for our lives or we have to battle through the circumstances in our lives. At times like these we are desperate for a big display of God’s presence so that we can step into the shadows of the Almighty and allow His power to attend to our needs. But, this scripture tells us that God is not always found in the large and boisterous. He may be a simple whisper; perhaps in the recesses of our mind encouraging us, leading us, speaking to us. Can you hear him? What is He asking you?
God purposely does this- just as He did with Elijah. This world is noisy and we lose our way. The world is full of sin and our hearts get pierced, whether via circumstance or bad choices…but pierced non-the-less! It’s painful and lonely. We sit in our cave of circumstance, like Elijah, and ponder the death that is in front of us.
It is then that we need to lower the cloak we’ve so protectively pulled over our down-cast face and listen for that distinct whisper which could only be the voice of God! There’s a different look on our face when we’re listening. God knows that look full well. He knows when our hearts are pierced….and He knows when we’ve finally come to the end of ourselves and are willing to listen. Because of this He simply has to whisper. It’s gracious and compassionate; full of comfort and concern. Believe me, we have the capability to hear God if we listen with the intention of hearing!
After God asked Elijah that pivotal question “What are you doing here?” God then said, “Go back the way you came.” What? Wow! How interesting. After all that running and hiding, in a cave no-less….Elijah had to go back the way he came. Oh, the pain of back-tracking. The wasted time fear causes us. But, God knew the way to it and the reasons for it. God sent Elijah back with detailed instructions and with this God’s plan continued on its way for in this passage of scripture God is once again wooing the Children of Israel back to Him.
It is the same with us! God is pursuing us. Working it out so that we turn back to Him-- for this world and its friend, Despair, will certainly distract and cause us to hover in fear and isolation. Don’t despair! Don’t wait in a cold cave fearing the inevitable. Jeremiah 23: 29 says;
“Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord,
“and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?
He is strong enough to break apart the fear we're entangled in and burn our circumstances up like they are nothing! Like the elements that Elijah experienced we too experience the wind-blowing, ground shaking fires of this world…but the one who controls all things controls those elements and every element of circumstance we must struggle through. Yes, we struggle. We wrestle. We weep. Then, we must surrender for this is just the moment our gracious God is waiting for. He’s there in the pages of scripture and with mercy He attends to us as we step out onto the mountainside with hearts ready to listen to godly advice.
He will ask “What are you doing here?” And your answer will be……..
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