And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
So he said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”
Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 1Kings 19:9-12
Elijah fled from Jezebel’s hands, and God graciously fed him even though He did not tell him to run away. While the Lord provided food and drink to Elijah, He did not discuss what was distressing to Elijah. He waited for forty days.
After forty days, the Lord asked Elijah why he was hiding in a cave. Elijah’s response was one of pity. He felt sorry for himself that he had been faithful to the Lord. He was dismayed with God’s people and how they had forsaken their relationship with the Lord to the point of killing God’s prophets. Elijah may also have been disappointed that all his hard and courageous work on Mount Carmel did not eradicate idolatry from the land.
This is one of the challenges for God’s messengers. They can earnestly seek the Lord and do what God calls them to do. However, not everyone is happy with the person’s message nor do the majority of Christians desire to walk the narrow path. This can cause discouragement and loneliness for God’s servants.
Elijah may have felt lonely, but he wasn’t alone. The Lord ministered to him in the time of His need while he was in hiding. Then the Lord told him to go stand on the mountain before Him. The last time Elijah was a on a mountain was when he challenged the prophets of Baal and called down fire from heaven. He may have expected that the Lord’s presence was going to come in the fire again and do something spectacular. However, God had a different plan.
The Lord was not in the wind, earthquake, or the fire. The Lord chose to show up differently. He came in a still small voice. He revealed a different side of Himself to Elijah. This was the place of quiet fellowship with Elijah. Elijah was not expected to perform or call down fire from heaven. All he needed to do was to be still, so he could hear the still small voice of the Lord.
I wonder how many of us are used to hearing God only in a certain way. Some of us may be used to hearing Him only during worship at church. Others are only open to hearing Him when they have their Bibles open and are reading the word of God. Some can only hear Him when they are walking or running by themselves. Some are used to calling their friends or mentors, and only those particular voices have the ultimate authority of God’s voice in their lives.
The truth is that the Lord can talk to us at any moment of time if we have ears to ear Him. He may speak to us when we are grocery shopping, driving, or cleaning our home. The Lord also may use our children, spouses, or a new believer to deliver His word to us. We all need to take off the limitations that we put on God. The Lord is not bound by a place or technique to talk to us. All we can do is to seek Him and humbly be open to hearing Him when He speaks.
Elijah was about to experience his breakthrough, which will ultimately led to the resolution of the matters that had been distressing to him. I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.
