There he went into a cave and spent the night.
And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
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 his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”
– 1 Kings 19:9-18
The Story of Elijah
At this point in Elijah’s story, we see him exhausted and a little on edge. He just performed several works for the Lord, but a lot of people still wanted to kill him. He retreats to Horeb, the mountain of God, where God finds him.
God asks Elijah what he was doing, and Elijah launches into a pity party. In his eyes, he’d done all of this stuff for God but hadn’t received the results he expected. God tells Elijah to walk out of the cave to see His presence. As he does, Elijah experiences all sorts of supernatural events. The wind came and tore the mountain apart, but it wasn’t God. There was an earthquake, but it wasn’t God. A pillar of fire passes by, but it wasn’t God. Finally, God reveals Himself in a quiet whisper.
These supernatural events reminded Elijah of the power of God, but what Elijah needed was the quiet voice of God. A lot of times, we want and expect God to show up in a powerful, supernatural way. Like Elijah, we think a mighty move of God is confirmation of His presence; but what we need is the quiet whisper to our soul to remind us that God is with us.
Reflect
It’s easy to imagine that a move of God is monumental and instantly life changing, but sometimes what God needs to do is speak to us. How have your expectations of God showing up differed from how He showed up? In what area of your life do you need to hear God’s quiet whisper?
Pray
Lord, so often I focus on my way of doing things. I think my way of You showing up is better. The truth is, You know exactly what my heart needs. Thank You for how You’ve met me in my frustration, loneliness, and unmet expectations. Lord, would You continue to reveal Your presence to me when I’m at my lowest and greatest moments. Amen.