Elijah is one of the more colorful people mentioned in the Bible. His story is told extensively in First and Second Kings. One very impressive account of his life is the story of his confronting the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18 and following). He challenges them to a contest of sorts to see whose god is the true God. The futile attempts of the Baal prophets to call down fire upon their sacrifice are almost laughable. Elijah even engages in some good-natured chiding as he challenges them to call louder to their gods because they don't seem to be responding.
Then what follows is the extraordinary demonstration of the power of the God of the Bible, as God sends fire to not only consume the sacrifice, but also the water, the wood, and the rocks of the altar. When King Ahab's wife Queen Jezebel hears of the confrontation and the fate of the prophets of Baal at the hands of Elijah, she threatens him with death before the end of the next day.
Elijah's response is to flee for his life. Even in this act, he accomplishes a remarkable feat. He runs from Mt. Carmel in northern Israel to Mt. Horeb (Mt. Sinai in Arabia, the mountain of the Lord), a journey that takes him over 40 days. He only stopped occasionally for rest and some "angel food" (1 Kings 19:5–7).
When he arrived at Mt. Sinai, God sent him to a cave in the side of the mountain to await God's next instructions for him. At one point, God instructed him to go to the mouth of the cave so God could speak to him. What happened next was pretty impressive. God sent a strong wind, followed by a great earthquake, and followed that by mighty fire. But the Bible adds an interesting detail—it says God was not in any of these powerful demonstrations. So why did God send them? The Bible doesn't tell us.
The Still Small Voice
Allow me to offer a possible explanation. Could God have been telling Elijah, "If I wanted to get your attention, I certainly could. I spoke billions and billions of stars, planets, and galaxies into existence just by my words. But I don't want to frighten or intimidate you into a relationship with me"?
What followed these awesome demonstrations of God's power was a "still small voice." Why? God doesn't want us as slaves or cowering subjects. He wants us as His beloved children. He wants to show us His greatest attribute—His incomparable love. We are not slaves but friends.
Psalm 46:10 advises us to: “Be still and know that I am God.”
It is important that we spend time quietly waiting in His presence, meditating on His great love. Then we will hear Him speak to us in loving words and experience Him impart to us His incredible peace, assurance, and wisdom.
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