April 27, 2012
And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" -- 1Kings 19: 12-13 (NLT)
Here is the great man of God Elijah; hiding in a cave. Fearful for his very life from the forces gathering against him. Feeling like the world was coming to claim his life and also feeling like he was the only one who was truly serving the Lord:
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." -- 1Kings 19: 10 (NLT)
If we were honest with ourselves we would relate well to Elijah here sometimes in our walk. We feel downright unappreciated for everything we feel we do on behalf of God. As if we were the only person left truly serving Him. But the truth is that Elijah walked into this wilderness all on his own and we often do the same exact thing. Elijah had just seen the 450 prophets of Baal slain by God on Mount Carmel. We too have seen the mighty hand of God move in our lives overcoming seemingly impossible odds. Yet there we can stand too, in a cave of our own choosing, bemoaning a situation we are only in because we willingly walked into it. In these two short verses we see two important things to consider.
The first is that we need to be attentive to the
voice of God. Notice in verse twelve Elijah hears the sound of a gentle
whisper. This is after Elijah witnesses a violent windstorm, a massive
earthquake and a raging fire. This can seem how our lives are sometimes too before
the Lord. The Bible says the windstorm tore the rocks away from the mountain.
How violent our lives can seem sometimes to us. The winds swirling around us,
blinding us from being able to see the next day. An earthquake shattering the
peace and calm we seek and can find so elusive. A fire so deadly that it
spreads fear into the hearts of people who have already seen the mighty power
of God in their lives. Yet somewhere inside of the windstorm there is the still
small voice of God calling out to us. Inside of the earthquake God is trying to
reach us. Through the flames, God is calling out to us. The Bible says that God
was not in the wind, the earthquake or the fire but yet at the end of them
Elijah heard this small whisper calling out to him. This is what we need to
remember today. No matter how bad the situation may seem in our lives, God is
still there calling out to us. He will not be screaming. We need to attend our
ears to hear Him. Jesus used to say, "Let him who have ears hear-- because too
often we have selective hearing. We like to hear what our friends are saying
about our situations even though they are no closer to God than we are! We like
to hear what the world has to say, or God forbid Oprah! We like to turn to counselors,
medication, or therapy instead of simply attuning our ears to hear the whisper
of God in our lives. The world doesn't have the answers beloved -- only God
does!
Lastly, we need to prepare our hearts for the question God is going to ask us -- what are you doing here? Didn't I just slay the 450 prophets of Baal? Didn't I raise the widow's son from the dead before your eyes? Didn't I turn your life around? Didn't I call you out from the wilderness of the world? Didn't I write your name in the Lamb's Book of Life? Didn't I send my only Son to die for the very sins you still struggle with? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?
Do not walk into the wilderness on your own beloved. Take a good hard look at where you are at and listen for the whisper of God in the midst of the drama and chaos that quite often we perpetuate ourselves. Push the windstorm aside, walk through the earthquake, fight off the flames and get back to hearing the voice of God. Just be ready for the uncomfortable question He may have for you -- what are you doing here? Is this where I have called you to? A desolate cave serving nobody? Is this why I set you apart -- so you can feel sorry for yourself? Is this why I delivered you from the 450 Baal prophets in your life? So you can forget my power and run away? Is this why I brought blessings into your life -- so you can run from them? No beloved. Elijah was a mighty man of God but he was as human as we are. I thank God for showing us the humanity of his servants in the Bible so we can better relate to them. No matter what cave you find yourself in today -- listen for the whisper of God above the noise of your life and be ready to answer the question of why you are where you are. Be ready to move then and get back into the calling God has placed on your life. Amen.
Rev. Anthony
