What Are You Doing Here?

This past Sunday we continued our Questions GOD Asks Us message series (visit www.cokeschapel.org to watch the sermon online). This week’s question was posed by God to Elijah in 1 Kings 19.1-13. Elijah was nearing burnout. He had met an enormous challenge at Mt Carmel and defeated the 450 prophets of Baal. He knew Jezebel was out for his life, so he ran. It wasn’t that he was afraid to die, but he didn’t want to die at Jezebel’s hand; he, therefore, found a tree, prayed for GOD to come get him, and fell asleep. Twice, Elijah was awakened with a meal to help replenish his energy for the task that was ahead of him. 40 days and nights later, Elijah is in a cave on Mount Horeb where he has an encounter with the Lord.

The bible text tells us that Elijah experienced some extreme natural phenomena – hurricane force winds, a major earthquake, and a blazing fire – but GOD was not in those elements. GOD, did, however, appear in a whisper. Whispers are interesting things, aren’t they? Whether we speak softly to keep from being heard or to emphasize a really important point, a whisper requires us to do a couple things: (1) quit rushing around; (2) be quiet; and (3) get closer to the one being spoken to.

In life, and especially in our modern day culture, it is getting harder and harder to hear a whisper. It seems we are in a state of perpetual motion, running hither and yon. It also seems we fill the silence of life with all kinds of noises from televisions, radios, smart phones, et cetera. And the more we live for self, the further away from GOD we move.

In Elijah’s case, his frenetically paced ministry had him on the run. He was constantly moving, preaching, and working to convict Israel of their wayward behavior. But the more he did, he just became more aware of everyone else’s lack of faithfulness. Elijah felt all alone in his struggle. He lost perspective, and this caused him to cry out to GOD, saying, “I’ve been working my heart out for God, the God-of-the-Angel-Armies, because the people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed your places of worship, and murdered your prophets. I’m the only one left, and now they’re trying to kill me.”

GOD then asked Elijah, “What are you doing here?” I really don’t think GOD meant to ask Elijah that question from a proximity point of view, but to find out how he was able to lose GOD’s perspective. Later, in v.18, GOD tells Elijah that there are still 7,000 people who have not bowed their knee to Baal, and Elijah was to go meet up with them and keep proclaiming the goodness of GOD. But to be able to hear that message, Elijah had to slow down, get quiet, and come closer to GOD.

That is a lesson that is important for all of us. We are inclined to think that GOD speaks mainly through violent winds, quaking earth, and blazing flame, but I think most often, when God wants to get our attention, He speaks to us in the silent whisper. In order for us to hear Him, we must get still, get quiet, and get close to the Lord…then, we are better able to hear the voice of GOD speaking into our lives and calling us forward!

Just like in the case of Elijah, there are thousands of people around us who are receptive to an invitation to a relationship with the Lord. If we are constantly running around, flapping our gums, and going in our own way, we will not be able to meet people where they are. As GOD asks us each and every one – What are you doing here? – we must get still, quiet, and close to be able to hear GOD speak so we know what He wants us to do next.

As we get closer to Easter and the celebration of GOD’s victory of evil and death, I want to encourage you to learn from the lesson of Elijah from 1 Kings 19…may you get still, silent, and close to GOD! He has great things in store for you and great things in store for our church! By getting still, silent, and closer to GOD, He will reveal to you the glorious things in store for you!

So, may you get slow, silent, and close to GOD. It will definitely make a difference in your life!