Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.7 The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. [1 Kings 19 1-9]

Elijah defeats the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel through cataclysmic events. Fire descends from heaven. False prophets are put to death. But that momentous event is followed by an episode of fear and failure. After dropping fire from the heavens and defeating the false prophets despite being outnumbered, we see Elijah running away in fear because Jezebel vows to track him down and kill him. He flees into the wilderness and is so discouraged that he asks God to take his life. An angel wakes him up and gives him food before ordering him to travel to Horeb. God commands him to stand on the mountain. A powerful wind, earthquake, and fire come. God commands Elijah to “Go back the way you came…”

We learn three things from the story of Elijah.

One. 

Elijah faces down four hundred and fifty prophets and four hundred prophets of the groves, and slays them all. He fearlessly condemns King Ahab. He is a mighty man of prayer, enough to make the rain stop for three and a half years. He has accomplished great things in his life, but he trembles before Jezebel’s threats and flees for his life. He is depressed and lonely. “I have had enough, Lord,” he says. He is so weak and listless, the angel says, “Get up and eat.” When the power of God leaves us, even the strongest turn weak. One day, we might be full of the Holy Spirit, ready to take on any challenge, and the next day we can barely get out of bed. Get up! It doesn’t matter how many great things you have done in the past! Without God, you can do nothing but collapse under a broom bush. We must never rest on our past accomplishments. They can serve as reminders about how God worked in our lives, but they will not insulate us from the doubts and insecurities of new hardships.

Two. 

The Lord tells Elijah to stand on the mountain. A great powerful wind tears the mountain apart, but the Lord is not in the wind. There is an earthquake, but the Lord is not in the earthquake. There is a fire, but the Lord is not in the fire. Elijah stands in disbelief. His whole world turns upside down. Where was the God who rained down fire and gave him victory over the prophets of Baal? God always showed himself in dynamic and cataclysmic events, but He was nowhere to be found! Like Elijah, we expect God to work dramatically. We expect God to appear to us through titanic events and life-altering experiences. Yes, God works in these ways, but when guiding us into the future, He does not come in an earthquake or fire. Don’t expect God to be so dramatic when revealing Himself to us. If our eyes are trained to see only that which is climactic and sensational, we will miss God.

Three. 

In 1 Kings 19: 12, the Bible reads, “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.” God came to Elijah in a gentle whisper. In this whisper, God sets Elijah straight and tells him the things he needs to do. His life is not over. His work is not done. Elijah complains that he is the only one left, but God has 7,000 in reserve waiting in Israel. Everything Elijah thought while lying in despair under the broom bush was wrong. Everything Elijah thought before hearing the whisper was wrong. And when he listens and obeys God’s whisper, Elijah accomplishes more than he ever did.

What does our future hold? What course of action should we follow? God guides us through a gentle whisper. God commands Noah to build the ark in a gentle whisper. God doesn’t proclaim it to the world and shout it from the mountain top! People living in the time of Abraham didn’t know Abraham was going to be the father of all nations. God reveals this to Abraham in a gentle whisper. We must incline our ears and listen for God’s gentle whisper. In other words, we must look for the profound will of God dwelling inside the Bible. Instead of looking for dramatic and awe-inspiring revelations or interpreting exceptional events in your life to be God’s voice, quietly read your Bible. We hear God’s whisper by understanding the world through the Bible. 

Just like Elijah, we often find ourselves lost and despondent. We lose our way. It doesn’t matter how much we’ve accomplished or what God has done for us. When we face a new challenge, we’re back to ground zero. We rely on the things we have accomplished and wallow in solitude and despair when confronted with new adversity. God is nowhere to be found. We see and hear nothing. We’re wandering in the dark. Don’t lose hope! God guides us through His gentle whisper. Look for it in the Bible. And wherever you are in life, your greatest accomplishments lie before you. Incline your ears and look for God’s gentle whisper! If we do this, as Christians, we will never be lost and in the dark. At every turn, God’s gentle voice guides us to better days.

Summary

1. If the power of God leaves us, we are weak. 
2. God does not show Himself through dramatic events like an earthquake or fire. 
3. God guides us through a gentle whisper. Listen and obey.

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