GOD ASKS
There he came to a cave, where he spent the night.
But the Lord said to him, What are you doing here, Elijah?’ (l Kings 19:9).
Mount Horeb was once again the witness of unfounded fear. Years before, Moses had met his Creator there, by the burning bush. Overwhelmed by fear as he contemplated the task assigned to him, he had doubted God’s power. But God had a people to liberate and raise up and Moses was to guide them to the Promised Land.
Now Elijah was waking up from a long and needed slumber. He was faced with a question from a God who confronted him with his fear and lack of faith. It’s true, he had killed until he was worn out, he had fled from the unscrupulous queen and this had tired him out. But in spite of the amazing and irrefutable manifestation of God’s power on Mount Carmel, Elijah now feared being the victim of the heathen woman’s raging anger.
God had not sent him there, but found him there anyway. Many of the most meaningful lessons and encounters have taken place in the desert. It’s not a place we should necessarily go to, but we should know that it’s not a place to be afraid either.
«Not in mighty manifestations of divine power, but by (a still small voice,’ did God choose to reveal Himself to His servant. He desired to teach Elijah that it is not always the work that makes the greatest demonstration that is most successful in accomplishing His purpose» (Prophets and Kings, ch. 13, p. 168).
Could it be that sometimes, we also experience what Elijah went through? We may have witnessed great manifestations of God’s presence and power, understood heaven’s purpose and given our all while trying to teach others, and even so, we may think that we’re the only ones who have the message or feel we risk being attacked by an enemy who has already been defeated.
Sometimes we surround ourselves with so much noise that we forget to step back a little to let God wake us up in a place where His voice can be heard more clearly, where a still small voice will be all we need to hear the Almighty’s instructions.
God asked Elijah the question twice and both times, he replied with the same excuse.
I pray that God won’t need to insist that much to let us know what we should do.
