Life Talk Devotion 06/16/2023
Only a Whisper – 1 Kings 19:09-13
And there he (Elijah) 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?” 10 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 (God) 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; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:9-13
In these verses we find the prophet Elijah hiding in a cave having a pity party. Many of us can relate to Elijah sitting alone feeling as though all is lost. But God pursues the commiserating prophet challenging his sudden capitulation to fear and worry.
The backstory to these verses (See – 1 Kings 18:20-40) tells how Elijah the prophet stood strong in his faith to challenge the 450 prophets of the false god Baal. The Lord used Elijah to humiliate and overcome the delusional prophets while proving His supremacy as the One true God. Elijah didn’t waiver in His trust in the Lord through the dramatic encounter. However, when the spectacle was over, fear overwhelms him as his life is threatened and consequently he flees into the wilderness. It seems an unexpected turn about for the staunch prophet of God unless we remember he was just a mere man vulnerable to the same fragilities that plague you and me.
But in a beautiful expression of God’s understanding of our weaknesses, He redirects the focus of the forlorn prophet from fear to faith. Elijah had taken his eyes off the Lord as the circumstances around him appeared grim. The Lord reassures Elijah of His love and faithfulness with only a whisper. And with that whisper, Elijah finds strength realizing God has not abandoned him.
When we are sitting in a corner having our own pity party, we need to remember what God asked Elijah -“What are you doing here?”. Just like Elijah, God is admonishing us – “Today is not the day to shrink back in fear and self-pity.” It is the day to be of faith and good courage knowing that if God is for us who can be against us.
God has spoken to us through His Son, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-4) in these last days and He (Jesus) has given us the reassuring promise to never leave us or forsake us. The reminder of that promise may not come in a mighty wind, an earthquake or a blazing fire but rather in a still, small voice speaking to our spirit. So, stand fast in faith and courage!
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