“And he said, Go forth, and stand upon
the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and
strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord;
but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the
Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord
was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice” (1 Kings 19:11-12,
KJV).
We can possess great amounts of faith
standing in the face of offense and ridicule. We can be stalwarts of strength
in the midst of hardships and pain. We can be brave and courageous as danger
and persecution threaten our very life. We
can boldly declare the amazing name of our God and securely rely and act on His
power. We can believe in the astounding provision and faithfulness of God
abandoning any doubt as we pray for deliverance and miracles. We can stand firmly in anticipation of the
Lord’s wonderful intervening and rejoice with much celebratory fervor when the
Lord’s hand mightily provides, proclaiming the glorious distinction of God’s presence
and action.
Such was the faith and confidence of
Elijah the great prophet of God as he faced off against hundreds of false
prophets of Baal. His audacious faith is
legendary and this story has been retold countless times over the centuries to
numerous generations. Yet this great
prophet follows this extraordinary act of faith in the Almighty God with a complete,
reckless and faithless retreat from a singular wicked queen. Elijah ends up in a cave of immobilizing fear
and life forsaking despair. As Elijah cowers
in this place, God exhibits His mountain melting, hurricane blowing, fire
heating power but then comes near with a small voice to direct and assure with
His loving presence.
No matter in whatever cave we may find
ourselves cowering and retreating from all that is coming against us having
forgotten the provision of our God, we can be assured that our God who can melt
mountains will come with the comforting voice as our concerned and loving
Father to assure and guide us. When we
again remember His mighty power and trust in Him, we can depart and say
good-bye to the cave of fear and despair.
Suggested Reading … 1 Kings 19
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