6-19-22 Sermon Notes “What Are You Doing Here?”

The prophet Elijah is absolutely one of my favorite characters in the Bible! He led such an interesting, roller coaster life. He had times of mountaintop victories, and times of cave-dwelling defeat…fear, depression, burnout and despair. In our Scripture for this Sunday (Fathers’ Day), we will look at an example of Elijah’s crazy life, and especially at a question that the Lord asked Elijah – not once, but twice: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

As a pastor, and a father, and a human…I find myself relating to Elijah. There are times on the mountain, and times in the cave of despair. I am actually encouraged when I read James 5: 17, which says, “Elijah was a human being, just as we are…” All of us are afraid sometimes. We all would sometimes like to run away from our problems, or feel like we are all alone. We might even want to hide inside a cave, away from the world. But God loves us, pursues us, challenges and encourages us…asks us, “What are you doing here?” Look at this good news for us cave dwellers:
Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” 3 Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah; he left his servant there.
4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. He ate and drank and lay down again. 7 The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, or the journey will be too much for you.” 8 He got up and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. 9 At that place he came to a cave and spent the night there.
Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts, for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”
11 He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind, and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake, 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire, and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts, for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.” 15 Then the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; (1 Kings 19: 1-15a NRSV)
Join us this Sunday in worship!