In infinite tenderness, Jehovah followed His overwrought servant into the dark place where he had hidden himself (in the cave). 

"And, behold, the word of the Lord came to him." But it wasn't a word of revelation as it had been to Moses on that same mountain. It came rather as a word of rebuke. It was meant to dislodge this servant from his hiding place. Every word was pregnant with meaning, forceful enough to shake him more and more loose from his position in the cave. 

What doest thou here, Elijah?
The first word of the question might be put in the form of an exclamation: "What! You here, Elijah? This is indeed a surprising position in which you find yourself - sitting in a dark, damp cave, out of touch with Me and the world around you. And after all the fellowship we have known together in the work in Israel! 

"And thou, Elijah, of all people! What doest thou here! One could understand it if Ahab or Jezebel had crawled into a cave after the great demonstration against Baal on Mount Carmel, but you, Elijah - what are you doing here? You, who shut up the heavens that it rained not on the earth for three and one half years and who prayed again the prayer of faith which brought forth rain; you who showed such courage and confidence on Mount Carmel - what are you doing here? 

"And here, Elijah, what doest thou here, shutting yourself up in a cave, breathing in the same air of despondency you breathed out? Now, it's one thing to be shut up and shut in with God; it's quite another to be shut up with yourself, altogether miserable and dark-mooded, with your only comfort your own self-pity; drawn into a shell where all is dark and cold and one is without feeling except that chronic hurt of 'proud flesh.' 

"What are you doing here, Elijah, under the circumstances?" A Christian has no business under the circumstances; at any rate, to lodge there. Now there's no denying that Elijah's circumstances were of the worst sort. His life was at stake, apart from the fact that his fondest hopes had been brought to naught, and the whole cause for which he'd lived and toiled seemed altogether lost. Things hadn't at all turned out as he thought they would, and the present situation had him down - in a cave, bounded by the things of the present moment, for in a cave there are no horizons! 

Then the voice of the Lord came gently, but firmly, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" Now, at last, Elijah has the chance he's been waiting for -- a chance to voice his complaints and grievances. Oh, what relief it gives one in a cave to have someone ask, "What's the matter?" It gives opportunity for self-expression, so important to the self-life. 

"What am I doing here, Lord? I'm feeling sorry for myself! You see, I stood up for You at Carmel; I risked my life for You - I have been very jealous for the Lord God of Hosts, and I put all I had into pleading Your cause. But, really, Lord, You let me down badly. Who appreciates what I have done? And besides, what good did it do - all that demonstration of Your power? The results weren't permanent, and Israel wasn't brought out of idolatry. 

"And on top of all that, they seek my life! Yes, I'm sitting here blaming You, Lord, for not following through with me." 

Oh, how soon the perspective is distorted when one gets into a cave! 

"But that isn't all," he whined. "I'm complaining against my brethren in Israel. Why, every one of them is against You. I, even I only, am left. I'm the only true prophet You have left to serve You and to stand up for You - and they seek my life. What will You do if anything happens to me?" 

How easy it is for us who serve the Lord today to get into this frame of mind. We look about us and see apostasy and compromise on every hand. We see carelessness and indifference in our own home and sometimes even suffer persecution there for our stand before God. Our churches are becoming more and more empty, while the messages from the pulpit get colder and more impersonal. Our neighbors are so busy building for this life that they have no time for fellowship in the things of the Lord. We become baffled and confused, and cry out, "I, even I only, am left!" Let us then beware lest we find ourselves in the cave with Elijah. 

"And another thing," he went on, "I'm just plain scared, and I'm hiding. I fear what man shall do unto me. I'm cramped on every side, and dare not carry on boldly in defense of the faith as I once did. Don't You understand - they seek my life!" 

How many mouths have become dumb and how many voices have become silent which used to sound out uncompromisingly the full-orbed gospel, upholding truth and denouncing error. And how many true servants of God, loving Him supremely, but sensitive by nature, find themselves limited on every side by the cave of fear! 

Let us notice that the Lord answered Elijah not a word concerning his sad complaint. Oh, how gracious He is not to take notice of our petty thoughts and feelings! While feeling deeply with us in the things which have brought us to the point of becoming "cave Christians," He refuses to discuss the matter with us as long as we're sitting tight in our cave. It's God's business to bring us out of the cave. 

And so He tells Elijah what to do about it all: "Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord." In other words, "Come out of your cave, Elijah. The air in there is too close for you. Come out and come closer to Me, my child, where you can feel the warmth of my love and the reviving influence of my breath. Get out where you can rightly understand what I have to say to you. Stand upon the mount and, in the light of the greater and wider view, look into the central point of my overall plans and purposes. Get back in tune with Me, Elijah, and I'll make it all plain to you." 

This is copyrighted material from James Stewart's book Come O Breath!, available from Revival Literature, PO Box 6068, Asheville, NC 28816.