the big meanie

When it comes to the Bible, the verse below is one of my favorite stories. I love it because it shows the true nature of who God is and how He wants to come to us.   

1 Kings 19:11-13
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. ¹² After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. ¹³ When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. 

In case you aren’t familiar with the story—a few brief details. Gist of the story goes like this; Elijah, a prophet of the Lord, wins a huge contest proving who the only true God is when his sacrifice is consumed by a raging fire from heaven while the false god, Baal’s, sacrifice sits dry as a bone untouched and sparkless.

Elijah should be happy—should be. He’s won a great victory. He should be dancing for joy and celebrating. Instead, he’s running away in fear. Turns out the evil queen, Jezebel, is a bit miffed about the outcome of the contest. Elijah’s victory means that people may stray from their devotion to her god. In other words, she’s out to get Elijah. Big time.  

So Elijah runs and hides in the desert and prays that he might die. He’s sick and tired of dealing with the Israelites who promise to follow God and never actually do. Elijah’s bent over backward trying to turn the people of the Lord back to the Lord. Now he’s had it. These people are stubborn, disobedient, dishonest and they only believe in God when it serves their purposes.

Defeated, Elijah wanders into the desert and waits for death to release him from his misery. After spending a night or two in the desert, Elijah travels to Mt. Horeb to meet with God himself. When Elijah reaches the top, he finds a cave to sleep in. Little does he know that God’s been watching. He’s been listening. And He’s coming down to have a little heart-to-heart with him.

 And the word of the LORD came to [Elijah]: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
   ¹⁰ [Elijah] replied, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn 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.”
   ¹¹ 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. ¹² After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. ¹³ When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

What I like best about this story is the fact that God is not in the powerful wind. He’s not in the earthquake. He’s not in the fire. No, when God comes down to speak with Elijah, He comes as a quiet whisper—a whisper that’s enough to convince Elijah that God really does care, He really is concerned about every detail of Elijah’s life. How do I know this? Because God has a solution for Elijah. 

God comes down to remind Elijah that He is for him, not against him. He gives Elijah some friends, some buddies to share the work load with—to refresh his spirit, to come alongside and rally around him. 

¹⁵ The LORD said to [Elijah], “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. ¹⁶ Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. ¹⁷ Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.

It’s easy to think of God as the big meanie in the sky, the One who sends destruction and disaster upon us; a God who could care less about us frail humans who wander around the world searching for hope, grace, kindness, love.

The next time you feel like blaming God for your troubles, look to this story. God is not in the blustery wind. He’s not in the devastating earthquake. And He’s not in the blazing fire. He’s there as a gentle whisperer ready to talk to you, convince you that He cares and that He’s coming down to help you.