The Power of His Whisper

Text: 1 Kings 19:7-14 (NIV)

“The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, ‘Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.’ So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb [Sinai], the mountain of God. There he went into a cave and spent the night.

And the word of the LORD came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?’

He replied, ‘I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, town 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.’

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.

Then a voice said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’”

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The account of Elijah’s flight into the wilderness after confronting the prophets of Baal is one of the most amazing God encounters recorded in the Old Testament. In the story, Elijah has just defeated the prophets of Baal in a power showdown on Mount Carmel. After the Lord reveals Himself through heavenly fire at Elijah’s command, Elijah has the 450 prophets of Baal slaughtered. Jezebel, the evil queen of Israel, orders Elijah dead. Afraid, he flees into the wilderness.

As with the rest of the Old Testament, this story is full of types, patterns, and allusions that shed light on our new covenant spiritual inheritance. The desert is the place of our spiritual battles. Mount Sinai (Horeb in this account) is the place where Moses received the law and a place of God’s manifest presence in the Old Testament. It is also a symbol of religious understanding. We need to look beyond what is on the page to see what the Spirit is speaking about Jesus in this episode.

It’s easy to see ourselves in Elijah. Although he had just witnessed God’s power and faithfulness and scored a major victory against evil, he partners with fear and flees from his enemy. He receives divine provision for his flight into the wilderness, and it takes him forty days and nights to reach Horeb. Forty is a prophetic number that indicates significant spiritual trial or temptation.

In seasons of spiritual trial, we often experience successive victories as we keep walking and trusting in Jesus. However, just like Elijah, one or two victories does not mean our spiritual enemies are completely vanquished. True victory comes when we become more fully aware of our identity in Christ. God prepares us for this total victory by initiating encounters with Him that reveal the reality of His indwelling presence. God does this in seasons of spiritual dryness and temptation, known as “wilderness seasons.” It is in the wilderness that our convictions and beliefs about God and ourselves are put to the test. God uses the wilderness to shape, refine, and empower our inner man, preparing us for ultimate victory over our spiritual enemies.

Our wilderness seasons, one way or another, often lead us to confront our core beliefs about God. Core beliefs shaped by lifeless religion rather than experiential relationship with the living God must be reshaped and reformed. The Lord redefines and sharpens our existing understanding of Him through the power of experiential relationship.

Elijah, exhausted and despairing, has a unique personal encounter with God on the mountain. Horeb represents the place where we confront our core beliefs about God. It is symbol of our pre-existing understanding of the Lord. We become empowered when the Lord blows apart faulty beliefs about Him and breathes new life into us by His Spirit. He calls us out of the caves of our darkened understanding into light and clarity.

The Lord doesn’t ask Elijah, “What are you doing here?” because He doesn’t know. The Lord knows everything (John 21:17). The Lord is challenging Elijah in his sense of identity. He is holding Elijah accountable to be the person He has called him to be. The Lord’s people don’t hide from fear - they face it head on. When God calls Elijah out of the mountain, He is calling him out of his fear and into an encounter with His living presence.

The wind, earthquake, and fire are metaphors for the ways God’s presence reforms our hearts and minds. The Lord will use the circumstances of our life to transform our understanding of Him. Like Elijah’s experience on the mountain, these circumstances can seem tumultuous and cataclysmic. Rest assured, He is working. We are learning trust and relationship as we lean on Him.

The events and circumstances of our lives exist to draw us deeper into God’s presence. Above all else, the Lord desires closeness and intimacy with us. It is from this intimacy that we grow in our identity as sons and daughters of God. Despite confusion and tumult, God will always meet us in a place of stillness. The greatest power comes in the form of a whisper.

It is this whisper - the whisper of intimacy, concern, and closeness - that draws Elijah out of the cave. In the same way, learning how to hear and respond to God’s voice is key for spiritual growth. When we realize the Lord wants to meet with us as a friend, we are drawn away from our hiding places of fear and religion into a living encounter with Him.

It is interesting to read that the Lord does not inhabit the wind, earthquake and fire in this story. Oftentimes, we seek power encounters or manifestations of His presence when the Lord wants most to have a quiet conversation with us. Conversations with the Lord will always transform us. We must develop ears to hear (Matthew 11:15).

Elijah leaves Horeb with clear instructions for achieving lasting victory over His enemies. In his discouragement and despair, the Lord grants him fresh vision, revelation, and encouragement to complete his mission. He does the same for us as we seek His Voice and living presence. It is the Lord’s hope that our minds become renewed to see ourselves and our circumstances exactly as He does.