1 Kings 19:1-13

Elijah had had a rough couple days. During a long drought, first he spent a morning scoffing the prophets of baal, an afternoon watching God outperform their gods, and an evening massacring all 450 prophets of baal. Then he climbed a mountain looking for rain clouds only have to outrun a chariot for about 20 miles.

Our passage starts with Elijah getting a message from queen Jezebel that she is going to kill him within 24 hours for killing her prophets. Why didn’t she send an assassin instead of a messenger? Why was he hanging around, didn’t he guess she’d be angry? So many questions: where did he get the water to pour on the altar during a drought? Did he think he could hide? Didn’t he trust God after all he’d seen Him do?

Elijah decides get away and travels about 100 miles plus another day into the desert.

Even though Elijah has seen God’s power firsthand for years, he must have been so physically and emotionally exhausted. He found a shade tree, told God he was done (just bury me with my ancestors) and took a nap.

I don’t fault him for thinking it would be easier to just die. I once got lost in the woods in the morning after working all night. By 4 in the afternoon, I was ready to curl up under a tree and die. Elijah had been on the run for at least a couple weeks. Exhaustion will mess with your reasoning.

He was woken by an angel offering a meal of coal baked bread and water. God provides. After eating it, he was still exhausted and needed another nap. The angel woke him up again telling him to eat and drink more to get ready for a 40 day walk to the mountain of God.

I can’t imagine the meal and nap giving him enough energy for that. He must have been completely spent. From one literal mountain top to another. He took another nap when he got there.

In this condition, God asks him “what are you doing here”? He answers “I’ve been working hard for you”? don’t you know? God doesn’t respond.

Why did God ask him that? God obviously knew. Do I need to be asked that question? What am I doing here? Am I working my heart out for the “God of the Angel Armies”? I tend to just carry on with low intentionality.

Elijah was told to stand on the mountain at attention to witness God passing by. A hurricane wind came by crushing rocks but God wasn’t found there, than an earthquake, then fire, still no God. Recall God incinerated the altar in the previous chapter.

Then a quiet voice asking him again “what are you doing here?”

I’ve been here for 53 years now. What am I doing here? What are you doing here?