Waiting by a Cave

In 1 Kings 19:9-14 we find Elijah, the prophet, in a cave. Now he’s just come from an amazing showdown where God destroyed the prophets of Israel’s false god, Baal. Afterwards God brought rain, drenching the ground to break the drought and famine that had been holding the country for years. It’s a wonderful victory, but immediately afterwards Elijah, being human, is scared for his life and runs away from the king and queen of Israel, hiding away in a cave.

God speaks to him in the cave and (I’m skipping most of the conversation here) tells him to go out because He’s about to pass by. Elijah goes out to the mouth of the cave and a great wind passes by, but God’s not in the wind. Elijah stays where he is and an earthquake passes by but God’s not in the earthquake. Next there’s a great fire but God’s not in the fire. Finally a gentle whisper passes by and Elijah hides his face for he realizes that God is in that whisper.

It’s an amazing recounting of an incredible event. There are so many lessons to be learned from this story, as there are in every incident in the Bible, but for a moment let me just focus on one. Can you imagine Elijah’s patience?

I fully admit that I’m not a patient person. I can have times of patience but overall, especially when I’m praying for something, I tend to lose my patience. I ask God for something and I want it now. Often the need feels so urgent. That bill that has to be paid in three days. That deadline that is coming up faster then you can get the work done. That boss who won’t let up and is making your job harder and harder each day but you can’t seem to find another place to work.

Whatever your situation may be you try to do the right thing and you turn it over to the Lord and then… you wait. It’s one of the most dreaded words in the English language. Wait. However there's really nothing else to do so you wait. And wait. And wait. And wait some more. And it feels like forever. Pretty soon you start to wonder how long you’re supposed to be waiting. Surely it’s been long enough, right?

As I was thinking about this Bible passage and reading it over I tried to put myself in Elijah’s shoes. God has said He’s going to pass by and I believe Him but the wind goes by and He’s not there. So now I’m starting to get a little antsy. 

"Where are you God?"

Then comes the earthquake but still no God. Now I’m really concerned. 

"Um, hello? Did you forget about me? I’m still down here! Still waiting. You’re supposed to be appearing, remember?"

Finally the fire but this time when He doesn’t appear I’m freaking out. 

"Did I miss Him? Was He in one those great and wonderful shows of His power and I just didn’t realize? Or is He not coming? I mean, come on God! If you’re not in the wind or the earthquake surely you’ll be in the fire! So what’s happening here?"

Now on a good day we’re like Elijah and we stay put. We listen to the Holy Spirit, who lives inside of all believers, and we trust God’s promises. We stay outside the cave, waiting for God. But how often do we have those good days? I’ll tell you friends, in my case, it’s not often enough. Too often I lose hope and I walk back inside the cave. Maybe it’s because I think I’ve missed God. Maybe it’s because I think He’s forgotten me. Maybe I just stopped listening. I curl up into a ball and wait it out, missing God completely.

Thankfully He doesn’t let me stay there. He calls me again, picks me up off the floor and gets me back on the right path because He wants me to be there when He does pass by.

See Elijah’s story doesn’t end after the fire. He stayed where he was, waiting on God and as a gentle whisper goes by there, in that whisper, that still small voice, is God. He could’ve come in the wind or the earthquake or the fire and sometimes He does but often, more often then we realize, it’s in that gentle whisper that God appears.

So let me leave you with this question. Where are you? Are you inside the cave because you’ve lost your patience and given up hope? Or are you still outside, waiting to hear? I know it may seem like it’s taking forever but don’t give up. God will fulfill His promises, but you have to wait because He’ll always do it in His time, not ours and so often the fulfillment doesn’t come in the way that we had hoped or even imagined.

Elijah had just witnessed God literally reigning fire onto the earth. I doubt that a whisper was where he expected to find Him next.