"And, behold, the Lord passed by." No wonder the Holy Spirit says, "Behold." For is it not a thing to be marveled at that the Almighty God should continue in His long-suffering toward us at such a time?

The Lord passed by in mighty demonstrations of His power. He sent the strong winds. He sent an earthquake. He sent a fire. Elijah liked the elements; they spelt God to him. But this time, God wasn't in them. Elijah must learn that God isn't limited to the elements. So many of us feel that if we're not hearing a great noise and seeing things crash around us, God isn't working. God would have us, too, learn of His power which is so often manifested in the silence.

Then there comes a still small voice, tender as the call of a mother to her waking little one; "a voice of gentle stillness," the Hebrew has it. Its very tone is a "fear not." And, at the sound of it, Elijah wrapped his face within his mantle, for God was in that voice. Immediately, the barrier of resentment and self-justification was swept away. Yes, Elijah wrapped his face in his mantle and stood before the Lord. He came out of his cave.

The recommissioning
The old prophet was now ready for service again. God had still further work for Elijah to do. He wasn't to be set aside, to be superseded because of this failure. He was to be strengthened and encouraged by the companionship of Elisha, but Elijah was still to be God's honored servant, His chosen messenger. It would indeed have been a tragedy of the first magnitude if a sudden breakdown of faith could have disqualified him for future service. God still had confidence in him, and He would again use him to denounce Ahab's sin and bring down fire from heaven. With this renewed commission came the comforting assurance that his witness at Carmel hadn't been in vain. In his self-pity, the moody servant of God had thought he was left alone, the only faithful servant in the land. What a revelation for him to hear, then, that there were yet seven thousand secret disciples who hadn't bowed their knees to Baal!

He needs you
My dear fellow Christian, sitting lonely in your cave today, has the still small voice of the Spirit spoken to you, urging you to come out and take your stand once again before the Lord on the mount? Then hasten to obey. He wants to refit you for the battle, to renew your vision. He'll give you a new outlook and renew your commission. He'll bring you into a new fellowship with Himself and reveal to you the thousands of other saints who, like yourself, have been walking the lonely pathway of faith and obedience. He's able to banish your fears and make the crooked paths straight. He desperately needs you to take your place once again in the thick of the battle.

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