Sermon - 1 Kings 19:8-18 - What are you doing here Elijah?

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Beaver Dam and Pitts Creek Churches
Sermon - 1 Kings 19:8-18 - What are you doing here Elijah?
June 20, 2010

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Today I will be continuing with a series of sermons on the prophet Elijah. Elijah was the prophet of God at a very dangerous time for God’s people. The Omri dynasty in Israel was busy nationalizing farms for money and power, and converting the nation to worship the Phoenician weather god, Baal. Two weeks ago we saw the beginning of a three year draught which demonstrated the powerlessness of Baal and the great love and compassion of our God. Last week we saw how God was determined to stop the hoarding of grain and money by the government so that his people could be fed. Today we will look at the end of the draught and God’s decree on the Omri dynasty. But before we get to one of the most dramatic stories is all of scripture please pray with me.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

The draught had reached its three year mark and showed no sign of letting up. Time and again the prophets would climb to the high places and ask Baal to open the windows of heaven and let the rain fall. But no rain came. As the draught deepened water became scarce and the crops dried up and died.

So, Elijah proposed a contest to end the draught. He and the prophets of Baal would both go to the high place of Baal worship on Mount Carmel. The prophets of Baal would pray that Baal would send the rain. Elijah would pray to his God Yahweh to end the draught. Whichever God sent the rain would be the God of Israel. Two great fires were laid out. The prophet of Baal danced around their pile of wood imploring Baal to ignite their fire with lightening, a fairly easy task for the so called weather God. Nothing happened. Baal seemed to be absent, or maybe he never existed at all.

Elijah soaked his wood with water and prayed that Yahweh, the Lord God of Israel, would set it on fire. And the fire exploded in seconds and the draught came to an end. With absolute proof that Yahweh is God, Elijah, in triumph, had the prophets of Baal slaughtered by the sword. And this got Queen Jezebel angry. She sent a message to Elijah telling him that he was next to die. So in fear Elijah fled south through Judah into the Negev Dessert. And there Elijah, afraid and alone, was ready to die.

We have all experienced times when we feel all alone. We wonder where God is. And when God seems distant we become afraid. I have often wondered where God is. Last year was a difficult one for me. I knew that my contract at my church would not be renewed for a variety of reasons. After three years in seminary and two years on a pastor’s salary in expensive Southern California my savings were nearly exhausted. But as I neared the end of my pastorate in November I was confident that God would call me to a new church. I had applications at churches all over the country. But church after church told me that a few families in their congregations had lost their jobs in the bad economy and they could no longer afford to hire a new pastor. With 20% unemployment in California I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to find other work. And the work that was available did not pay enough to compensate for the high cost of living in Los Angeles. I was facing the same problems as many people in my congregation. As Christmas approached I still had not found a call, and I began to wonder where God was. I should have read about Elijah in the book of Kings.

1 Kings 19:8-18 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the LORD came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 10 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken 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.

Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 14 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken 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." 15 The LORD said to him, "Go back the way you came,

Elijah knew that he had to find God somewhere or die. So he retraced the steps of his ancestors, the Israelites, and returned to Horeb, the mountain of God where Moses had received the Law, the covenant with God. Elijah climbed the mountain, as Moses did, to find God. Elijah experienced the wind racing across the face of the mountain and thought that God might be that wind, but then realized that his God had created the wind. So the wind was not God. Then the earth shook and Elijah thought the God might be the earth, Mother Nature, but the he remembered that his God had created the earth. So the earth was not God. Then he saw fire and molten rock billowing up from the volcano and through that God must be fire, but recalled that God created fire. So the fire could not be God. And then Elijah remembered that God can only be found in the silence of prayer.

Whenever we feel that God is far away, missing, lost, unresponsive, inept or awol all we have to do to find God is to turn to God in prayer. Asking the question “Where is God” is nonsensical. God is always with us. And God always knows where we are. God is always asking the question “What are you doing here?”

This is the question God asked Elijah. God didn’t want Elijah sitting some mountain top complaining about his lot life. Elijah had work to do. Ahab and Jezebel had to be removed as king and queen. The Omri dynasty had to be brought to an end. Worship of Yahweh, the Lord God had to be restored to Israel. It was time for Elijah to get to work.

And so whenever God seems far away and we turn to God in prayer, God reminds us of our call and renews us for ministry. So don’t be surprised when searching for God that God will find you and give you a task that you never expected. While I was searching for God I received a call from Pocomoke to be a pastor of two churches on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. This was not what I expected. I had married a Korean wife, and I expected that God would send us somewhere with a large Korean population. I knew about the Eastern Shore from summers in Ocean City and Bethany Beach. So, just as I was beginning to wonder if God wanted me to be a pastor after all, I received a call from you. Your pastor nominating committee wanted me to come to the eastern shore to preach. And you called me to be your pastor. God was working through you to affirm my call and renew me to begin a new ministry right here in Pocomoke.

Elijah’s call was dramatic. Elijah was told by God to anoint Elisha to continue his ministry as prophet. A new king was to be anointed in Syria who would defeat Ahab in a battle where which would lead to his death. And Elijah was to anoint Jehu to begin a new dynasty in Israel that would return the county to the worship of Yahweh..

So whenever we feel that God is missing and we turn to God in prayer, be prepared for a call to an amazing new ministry. God has big things she wants each of you to accomplish. But you will only find what God has for you when you think God is missing and you turn to God in prayer.

On this Father’s day we should remember that we can always find God in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. One day Jesus of Nazareth was searching for God and he climbed a mountain to be with Moses and Elijah and pray. This Jesus taught us that we who believe in him are truly children of God and entitle to pray to God and our father.

Father in heaven; bless all of the fathers of this congregation. Help then to find you in prayer. And be with them as they lead their families to worship you. We pray this in the glorious name of Jesus. Amen.


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