- When We Pray
- No comments
“There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind dan earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.” 1 Kings 19:9-12
Elijah finds himself alone again. God had already shown off his power through Elijah by raising the dead and calling fire. But Elijah is still struggling with whether or not he is making a difference. He knows God deserves the praise of His people, but even with this proof of God’s power shown to His people, King Ahab is still in charge and just as wicked as he ever was. Elijah feels alone, and he thinks he is the only person left that wants to follow God. It’s not true; there are other prophets in hiding. He fled Israel and hid in a cave out of fear of King Ahab and Jezebel. But God calls him out of hiding and out of the cave to show him something. Wind tore through the mountains like a tornado, an earthquake shook the ground, and fire fell, but God wasn’t in those big displays. Then God spoke to him in a still, small voice, a low whisper. People whisper when they are close to you, and they want to draw you in. God whispers to Elijah to show him that He is close and He is still working behind the scenes even when the big gestures don’t seem to be making a difference. God is showing Elijah that He is working even though Elijah can’t see things changing yet.
In prayer, we can go to God and whisper to Him and hear Him whisper. Sometimes we want big miracles, but the quiet, slow miracles are no less powerful. No matter what has driven you into hiding in the cave, come out. Walk towards God and whisper. You’re not alone; you’re not the only one that wants to see wrongs right; God has not forgotten you.