“What are you doing here?”
The Lord asked Elijah this question as the prophet secreted
himself in a cave. The rhetorical question from God made Elijah remember to whom
he belonged.
After fighting a mighty battle against the prophets of Baal
on Mount Carmel—and winning—Elijah’s confidence failed when Jezebel threatened
him. He responded with fear and ran away to hide in a cavern.When the word of the Lord came to him in the form of this inquiry, Elijah replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken 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.” I Kings 19:11. NIV.
After Elijah’s response, the Lord showed him the wonders of
a massive wind, then an earthquake, and after that, a fire. At the conclusion of
these awesome events, the Almighty whispered, “What are you doing here,
Elijah?”
The great man of God replied with the same answer as before.
God now announced the consequences for Elijah’s panic and
failure to trust his God. He would lose his place of service—Elisha would take
his place.
After all the marvel of Mt. Carmel, Elijah experienced a
lack of faith in God’s continued miracles, but God graciously delayed the
penalties. He allowed the prophet Elijah
to mentor his replacement, Elisha.
At the premature conclusion of Elijah's ministry, God sent a chariot of
fire to take Elijah to heaven, but Elijah remained an important figure in
Israel history. At the Mount of Transfiguration, Elijah appeared with Moses to
speak to Jesus.
So what can we learn from the Elijah experience?
After winning battles, mental and physical fatigue
can lead to our spiritual downfall. Use these interludes to immerse ourselves
in the Word, rest, and wait for recovery. God’s power of deliverance is not
limited to a one-time encounter.
A place of service to the Lord is important to
us all and the loss of time or abilities to serve is heartbreaking. A constant study of God’s power will deliver
us from negative feelings set to destroy us.
What a great reminder that we should not grow weary in the work of love. Discouragement is the pavement on the pathway to defeat. Thank you, Gay. Nice article.
ReplyDeleteThanks. As writers, we should never grow weary. Our Christian novels are a work of love for Him.
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