Read 1 Kings 19:10-11
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.
Once Elijah made it to Mt Horeb, he entered a cave, and finally heard what he had been longing to hear for MONTHS – God’s voice. God’s only words to Elijah at that point were in the form of a question – “What are you doing here, Elijah?”. God knows why Elijah is there, but he wants to give space to Elijah to share his heart.
Elijah is honest in his response, and what happens next is essential to our understanding of God. God could have just spoken to Elijah. Instead, he gave him a profound illustration. God sent powerful displays of justice, victory, and power through a windstorm, an earthquake, and a fire, but instead of aligning himself with those, he shows up in silence.
In the Ancient Near East, people associated victory and power with the gods and kings of the land. In this interaction, Elijah is reminded that HIS God is not like the other gods. His God isn’t focused on military victory or control. His God is personal, gentle, and patient. His God works in the background WITH and THROUGH his people, as long as they are willing to walk in relationship with him. God doesn’t often show up in ways that the world associates with power and glory. Instead, as he did in the person of Jesus, he shows up in humility and gentleness, inviting us to join him in the stillness.
Prayer: Lord, I want this season to drive me to you like Elijah was driven to you. Help me to run to your arms regardless of what I am experiencing and to sit in silence with you. Remind me that you are in control in ways I don’t understand.
