“Go out and stand on the mountain,” the LORD replied. “I want you to see me when I pass by.”

All at once, a strong wind shook the mountain and shattered the rocks. But the LORD was not in the wind. Next, there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. Then there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire.

Finally, there was a gentle breeze, and when Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his coat. He went out and stood at the entrance to the cave. The LORD asked, “Elijah, why are you here?” Elijah answered, “LORD God All-Powerful, I’ve always done my best to obey you. But your people have broken their solemn promise to you. They have torn down your altars and killed all your prophets, except me. And now they are even trying to kill me!”

The LORD said:

Elijah, you can go back to the desert near Damascus. And when you get there, appoint Hazael to be king of Syria. Then appoint Jehu son of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and Elisha son of Shaphat to take your place as my prophet. Hazael will start killing the people who worship Baal. Jehu will kill those who escape from Hazael, and Elisha will kill those who escape from Jehu.

But seven thousand Israelites have refused to worship Baal, and they will live. (1 Kings 19:11-18)

Doesn’t God understand how bad things are? Why doesn’t he do something? Jezebel, the foreign queen of Israel, had executed as many prophets of God as she could find. Baal worship was rampant. So Elijah, one of God’s remaining prophets, challenged Baal’s prophets to a contest to see who was most powerful: God or Baal. God won, of course.

Jezebel responded by threatening to kill Elijah, and so he ran away. For weeks Elijah, exhausted and discouraged, hid in the wilderness. Finally, while Elijah was sitting in a cave, God told him that he was about to pass by. Elijah anticipated glorious things. But Elijah’s thinking needed to be changed, and God began the process by arriving in a whisper rather than a spectacle. Elijah thought God just didn’t understand his situation. By his silence, followed by his simple question, God showed that Elijah was the one who really didn’t understand. Enlightenment came to Elijah only as illusions were shattered and he was forced to see things as they actually were. Sometimes the reason we don’t see God’s solution is simply because we’re looking the wrong way.

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