“What are you doing here, Elijah?”
1 kings 19:13
Elijah ran ahead of Ahab’s chariot in the rain all the way to Jezreel, and then he may have likely collapsed in exhaustion by the main gate into the city. He could have pulled his mantle over his head and tried to shield himself from the storm.
Meanwhile, King Ahab padded his way into the palace and reported all the events of the day to his wife Jezebel. Jezebel was born and raised in one of the strongholds of Baal worship. She was a champion of Baal worship for Israel. She listened with a growing irritation of how Elijah had ordered her husband to gather Israel at Carmel and how he had initiated a contest between Baal and the Lord God. She was deeply concerned with the public display of the inability of the priests of Baal to create a credible “answer from Baal” by fire.
Jezebel cringed when hearing of Elijah rebuilding the broken-down altar to the Lord God. Anger filled her as Ahab detailed how the Lord God answered Elijah’s prayer with fire, but her hostility knew no bounds when she heard about the end of her prophets! The steady drumbeat of the much-awaited rain on the roof of the royal residence did nothing to abate her desire to be rid of Elijah for once and for all.
Picture the weary prophet, slumped against the city wall in the rain. A hand roughly shook him awake. He lifted his cloak to see who was awakening him: a royal messenger! His heart may have leaped with joy! Maybe he thought that the king and queen were inviting him to the palace to repent of their ways and to return to the Lord God. But it was not to be.
The Scriptures say, “Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, 'So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time'” (1 Kings 19:2). Shocked, he watched as the messenger ran away in the rain. The cold rain dripped off his head and nose. He was hungry, cold, and wet. Discouraged with the defiance of Jezebel and the spineless cowardice of Ahab, he pondered his dreary fate. Soon he would be dead, if the queen had anything to say about it.
Fear set into his heart. Doubts about the value of what had happened during the day crept into his mind. Maybe it was all for nothing. Maybe nothing ever would bring God’s people back to Him. “And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life...” (1 Kings 19:3).
Elijah faced an angry king with no fear. He stood against the crowd and fearlessly challenged his countrymen to choose whom they would worship. As far as he knew, he was alone when he called for fire from heaven. As far as he could see, he alone cried out to God for the rain. Even after seeing the mighty Hand of God, Elijah ran.
Elijah ran past the outskirts of the city, past the towns and small villages. He ran far out into the wilderness. In utter despair, he cried out, “It is enough: now, O Lord, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers” (1 Kings 19:4). Twice God sent an angel to gently feed the discouraged, suicidal prophet.
“So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength from that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God” (1 Kings 19:8). He climbed up the high mountain. Mount Carmel was far away in distance and in thought. God must have also seemed far, far away.
“Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the Word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’” (1 Kings 19:9). It was the last question the runaway prophet wanted to hear.
Elijah answered by defending himself before God. He defended his zeal and listed the sins of his countrymen. Pitifully, he concluded by whimpering, “And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away” (1 Kings 19:10).
God did not argue with his discouraged follower. God called him, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord” (1 Kings 19:11). Elijah wearily obeyed. “And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks 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. After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing” (1 Kings 19:13).
Elijah knew that still, small voice. He knew that the Lord God was calling him with a gentle whisper. “When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him and said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’” (1 Kings 19:13).
God knew that Elijah still had not answered a profound question. Why was he where he was, far away from the last place where God had called him? He had given God excuses, but not a real answer.
Up to this point, Elijah had only moved when God said to move. His way of daily life was to go the moment God told him to go and to stop wherever God told him to land. His life had been one continuous testimony to the faithfulness of God and His power for His people to live faithfully.
Elijah gave his same lame list of excuses. God listened patiently. God did not cut him off in exasperation. God listened to the man He claimed as a dearly loved son. God showed the erring Elijah His grace. He could have told the tired-out follower that he had failed. He could have told him to retire. But God has room in His Kingdom for followers who run the wrong way, who give up, and who sit down when they should have taken their stand.
God whispered to Elijah that he had more for him to do! He sent Elijah to disciple and mentor a younger man. And before Elijah left the mountain, God whispered once more, “Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him” (1 Kings 19:18).
Doug was running as fast as he could in the wrong direction. A few years before, he had searched his city from east to west for God and had found Him. He found the truth about the living God, but he had not lived this truth of God.
He made good money, drove a nice truck, had lots of drinking friends, had a beautiful home, wife, and family — all in about that order. Over time, he became separated from his wife and estranged from his kids, and he descended into many habits and addictions that made him a helpless slave.
One day, the Lord God whispered to his heart. God called Doug to consider the destructive way he was living and to return to Him with all His heart. God promised to give Doug a new heart and to be his strength to turn away from all that kept him imprisoned.
Doug felt discouraged and afraid of losing everything, yet hopeful. He chose to listen to that still, small voice of God.
He surrendered all he was and all he had to the Lord God. He backed up his truck to his house, grabbed some garbage bags, and threw out anything that compromised his relationship with God. He threw out DVDs, CDs, magazines—anything that pulled him away from the living God.
He cleared out his whole house. There was only one place left...and Doug did not want to enter it. It was his garage. The Spirit of God challenged Doug to give his whole life to God, not some of it. Not most of it. All of it.
Doug stepped into the garage and was confronted with a beautiful refrigerator packed with all the alcohol he and his buddies loved to drink. Moved by the power of the Holy Spirit, Doug wheeled it out to his truck, and with no one but God to help him, he hoisted it onto the back of his truck.
Fearing that he would take one last drink, he sped out from his home and to the city dump. He threw out the bags of trash and then pushed the refrigerator full of alcohol out of the truck. He watched it tumble down into the dump and drove away a free man.
God frees His people so they can worship Him, have loving relationships, and have the joy of serving Him. God gave Doug a love for His written Word and prayer. Then God gave him a love for his wife and children and gentleness and patience to see God restore his marriage and family. For over a year now, Doug and his wife have had the joy of serving God together and sharing Him around the world.
Call to Action
Hear the whisper. Allow God to challenge your position and redirect your life.
Scripture taken from the Amplified Bible (AMPCE), Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
