by Robin Gray
I have discovered in raising my kids that if you instill enough of God’s word in them growing up, there will come a time when they give it right back to you. I had one such occasion with my daughter this week. I was actually complaining to her about how lonely and sad I was feeling, and that I felt really disconnected from people right now. She said, “Mama, it sounds like you need to go back and read that story about Elijah again. You know, the one right before God sent him to anoint Elisha.”
Ahhh… I knew exactly what she was talking about instantly. My daughter was referring me and my sense of loneliness right back to Elijah and God’s seven thousand.
Running scared and feeling alone…
The story is found in I Kings 19, and begins in the immediate aftermath of one of Elijah’s greatest victories when he literally prayed fire down from heaven to demonstrate God’s glory. In a fairy tale world, that would have been that, the Israelites would have vanquished the evil king and queen, and Elijah would have been grand marshall in a parade through the streets.
But that’s not what happened. Instead, Jezebel vowed to kill him and Elijah went running for his life. Interesting to note here: if arguably the greatest prophet in the Old Testament was given to moments of fear and self-pity, then perhaps we should go a little easier on ourselves when we experience the same thing.
Along his journey, the discouraged prophet sat down under a bush, prayed to die, and promptly fell asleep. He was awakened by an angel telling him to get up and eat. Now whether the angel, God himself, or one of the seven thousand cooked those pancakes, we will never know and the Bible doesn’t say. But he ate a bite, went back to sleep and got up and ate again before journeying on to the Mountain of God.
The intimacy of a whisper…
When he arrived at the mountain, God instructed him to “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” (I Kings 19:11)
So Elijah waited. And what he saw was a mighty wind, then an earthquake, and then a fire. Isn’t that what we’re all looking for? Some great theatrical production of “biblical proportion” announcing to us the presence of God? And surely, God does those things. But if that is all we are looking for in order to hear from him, we are probably going to miss him. I know I have. But God didn’t show up for Elijah in the grand theatrics of nature. He came to him in a much more personal way. The KJV describes it as a “still small voice.” The NIV simply refers to the voice of God in this instance as a “gentle whisper.”
A whisper is such an intimate thing. The speaker must be leaning very close to the listener in order to be heard. Imagine the prophet of God, standing in a cleft of the mountain; afraid, discouraged and lonely. The creator of earth and sky does not appear in signs and wonders. Instead, he wraps himself around his weary prophet and leans in so closely that his warm breath can be felt against his cheek and his voice is a soft question in his ear. “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Introducing the Seven Thousand…
Elijah launched into his speech, tinged perhaps with a little bit of self-righteous indignation and self-pity. “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.” (I Kings 19:14)
God doesn’t address Elijah’s fear and self-pity right away. He gives him certain specific instructions on what he should do next, including anointing kings over Aram and Israel, and also his successor, the prophet Elisha. And then I can just picture God himself leaning in ever so close to his weary prophet to tell him he is not alone. “Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel — all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.” (I Kings 19:18)
Shout out to the Seven Thousand…
I see you there, stuck in your houses, social distancing. Keeping your heads down and going to work and pretty much nowhere else. You’re trying your best to protect your family from an invisible enemy, but you don’t know if you’re doing too much or too little. Maybe you’ve been laid off and you’re wondering when the unemployment check will come in. Your church services are streamed online, but the internet bill is due and there is more month left than money. The cupboards are getting bare and you’re running out of food, patience and toilet paper. The news and social media are confusing and scary and angry, and you’re so tired of feeling confused and scared and angry. And you haven’t had a hug in weeks. And dear God, how you miss those hugs…
Dear Seven Thousand, you who have not bowed the knee to lesser things, I see you. And more importantly, God sees you. Are you tired? God and Elijah would tell you to lay down and rest. Hungry? Get up and eat. You’ve got to take care of yourself and meet those basic needs. Lonely and scared? So was Elijah. So am I. We’re in this thing together, even though we are miles apart. I’m sending you a virtual hug. And beyond that, I’m encouraging you to hide in the cleft of God’s mountain. You’ll find it within arm’s reach.
If you listen carefully, the creator of earth and sky will pull you close enough to hear his whisper…
In the Cool of the Day... 