Let God Change your Perspective
And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. I Kings 19:9-10 (KJV)
Elijah ran to hide in a cave. God asked him what he was doing there. God had not instructed him to run from Jezebel. Elijah proceeded to tell him that he had been standing for God and others attacked him. He had just defeated the false prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel to show that God was God and no other. After this, he felt he was the only prophet of God left, so he became afraid and ran.
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. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. 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?” I Kings 19:11-13 (New International Version, NIV)
God told Elijah to stand upon the mountain because He was going to pass by. There was a great wind that tore the mountain apart and shattered the rocks. Then an earthquake came. Then there was a fire. After these amazing expressions of power, there came a still, small voice, as the King James Version calls it. The NIV calls it a gentle whisper. The literal meaning from the Hebrew is a sound of soft stillness. Elijah recognized the Lord speaking in that stillness. God got the prophet’s attention, shaking him and waking him up to speak with him, thus changing Elijah’s perspective and having him get on with God’s plan.
He replied, “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.” The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 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 19:14-18 (New International Version, NIV)
If we always look for God in the spectacular, we can miss what He is saying. In this passage, God asked Elijah a question, and Elijah gave Him an answer, but he must have not been ready to hear God’s response. So, God spoke to Him again in a different way after showing His power, and Elijah answered Him again the same way. This time God was able to give him instructions about the next steps he was to take. God was recommissioning Elijah. He had to get Elijah’s attention to get him in a position to hear that still, small voice so he could to move on with God’s plan. Once Elijah was listening, God told him there were 7,000 prophets of God who had not compromised.
I noticed the number 7,000 in this account and, in Bible numerology, it represents a godly remnant. God had told Elijah that God had 7,000 true prophets left, thus Elijah was not alone. God always has His remnant in the earth to bring His plans to pass.
We must step back from the noise and our busy lifestyles and get quiet to hear God’s voice. Yes, God can move through the spectacular, but He is more often found in the quiet stillness. When we get quiet and listen for God’s answers, we will find them, and we’ll get God’s perspective.
