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. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. 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. 1 Kings 19:11-13
Elijah was the greatest of prophets. Yet Elijah experienced great fear and ran away from Jezebel who threatened to kill him. In spite of his fear, Elijah spoke to God, He does not ask for protection but asks God to take his life! So not only was he filled with fear but he grumbled too. Now we see the love and compassion of God at work. God sent an angel to feed him and give him a drink. Then he went into a cave and to sleep. In that quiet time, God spoke to him. We read above that Elijah found God in a gentle whisper. You and I are in good company with Elijah – we too get knotted up with fears and complain – but God reaches out to us, we will hear him in the quiet time we make for Him. Let us not let the voice of our fear and grumbling be the voice to give us direction. Rather let us be quiet and listen to what the Lord has to say. (Please read 1 Kings 18 and 19 for a better understanding). (Thanks Jane for this brilliant reflection on Elijah’s encounter with the Lord. One of my favourite books in the Old Testament is the Book of Isaiah. It is very rich in meaning).
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