What Are You Doin Here, [Insert Name]

Burned Head

The Old Testament prophet is famous for sitting down under a broom tree and asking to die. He laid down and went to sleep (not permanently). On Tuesday I got my first sunburn of the year, when I went back by the Royal Rangers building to pray. I had some things on my heart…questions, concerns, and was asking the Lord for direction for the message today. My burned head became a reminder of my prayer meeting on Tuesday…but the message that I want to share was birthed from that little prayer meeting.

Return to Mt. Horeb

There is a story in Kings about the prophet Elijah who desperately wanted some time in the presence of God. Leading up to the encounter Elijah had experienced some huge highs and lows. He had called Israel back to God and embarrassed 450 prophets of Baal. He ran from the threats of one person, Queen Jezebel and gave God his resignation. He had an angel feed him and give him water. Now he goes to Mt Horeb. We are familiar with Mt Horeb because it was where Moses saw the burning bush and received the 10 commandments.

1 Kings 19:9–18 NIV

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?” 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, “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?” 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 had never noticed the parallels that happen in this story. God asks Elijah “What are you doing here?” 2 times. Elijah gives the same answer 2 times. And, God answers him twice.

Have you ever asked yourself, “What am I doing here?” I’m not talking about sitting in your cushioned red seat at Grace Chapel. I’m talking about existentially [I really hate this word, but “the nature of human existence, freedom, and responsibility”] what is going on in my life…my soul…my spirit. I have. In fact, recently I found myself asking God what is going on. Nothing is ever perfect, but it just seemed like I’d been drawing some bad cards lately and I wanted God to tell me why. Actually, I just wanted God to eradicate problems in my life. You know, a miracle or two here and there. Peace, health, prosperity, success… those types of things.

Elijah did the right thing. He went to Mt Horeb in pursuit of the presence of God. He sets a powerful example for all of us and the amazing thing is that God knows how to treat (minister to) His people.

How Do We Answer this Question?

“What are you doing here, [insert name]?” Elijah had traveled 40 days and 40 nights to get to Mt Horeb. You may be seeing a lot of commonalities between the narrative of the Israelites in the desert led by Moses and this much shorter narrative of Elijah, again going from being pursued, into the wilderness, and then into God’s promised presence. [Which makes me think, where are you in this sequence?]. Well, Elijah has done 40 days and nights and now we find him on the mountain in the presence of God.

We often think about being in the presence of God as a spiritual time of bliss. All is well. Your world is perfect and just getting “more perfecter”. Let’s flip the script. Maybe you’ve been getting your butt kicked. You’re sweaty from a 40-day land march. You’re struggling with the thoughts bouncing around in your head.

“What are you doing here, [insert name]?” almost seems like a joke. But…I have 3 suggestions for us to consider this morning

#1 - “I’m alone”

We see the response from Elijah

1 Kings 19:10 NIV

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.”

Elijah had been a firebrand for the Lord. His leadership on Mt Carmel was a great victory for God. But, he looks around and sees more wickedness, more irreverence, and his life is in jeopardy. This despair brought a different kind of danger – isolation and loneliness. Instead, of depending on God he caught a case of the “I’s” - “I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts.… I, even I only am left.” Elijah indulged in three capital “I’s” here.[1]

Have you ever caught a case of the “I’s”?

To this God responds,

1 Kings 19:11–13 NIV

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?”

When Elijah heard the gentle whisper, identified as God's voice, he covered his face and went to stand at the mouth of the cave. This gesture is interpreted as an act of reverence and worship in God's presence4. One article suggests that covering his face was a sign of true humility, similar to Moses' reaction when encountering God's holiness. The cloak-covering action marked the moment Elijah recognized God's presence in the subtle whisper rather than in the dramatic displays of nature.

In His presence He reminds us we are not alone.

#2 - “I’m Yours”

I think that another possible response to the question, “What are you doing here?” is simply to acknowledge that we are His children. Where else are we going to go?

I admit that I’m stepping out a little bit here because this isn’t directly stated but I think that it is a byproduct of God’s whisper. Fulgurites are natural glass tubes or crusts that are formed when lightning strikes sand, fusing the silica (quartz) grains into a glass-like substance. Lightning, with its intense heat (up to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit or more), vaporizes the area where it strikes and melts the surrounding sand into glass.

To say that Elijah heard the gentle whisper of God and that is all would be an understatement. Elijah had seen the power of God on Mt. Carmel with the fire that fell from Heaven. Now he had seen the earthquake and the fire. But it was in the gentle whisper that he was strengthened.

The similarities to the story of Moses continue. Moses hid his face too.

Exodus 3:6 NIV

Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

God connected the forefathers of Isreal to Himself. Moses and Elijah were by blood but we are through faith in Jesus Christ.

Galatians 4:4–7 NIV

But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

In His presence He gives us His name

#3 - “I don’t know”

I think another possible answer to the Lord’s question is “I don’t know”. I don’t know why I am here.

Chip Ingram is a popular Christian author and speaker. He suggests that the question for many in the 60’s and 70’s was “Who am I and why am I here?” According to Ingram,

The issue of the twenty-first century appears to be 'where do I belong?' Belonging is a God-given human need. We all need and want the security of belonging to a family, belonging to a group, belonging to a team, belonging with people who need us just like we need them in a healthy and productive way. The fragmentation of the family and the rapid growth in technology have made people more mobile and isolated than ever before. The aching need to belong is at an all-time high" (Living on the Edge, page 132).

“What are you doing here, [Mark]?”

· “I don’t know”.

· “It seems confusing”.

· “Life isn’t what I expected”.

· “Why doesn’t good always win?”

· “Why all the detours in life?”

I can really sympathize with Elijah. Elijah had some legit concerns – (1) I alone am left, (2) it was a only safe option. Those were Elijah’s truths….but not THE TRUTH.

To the Lord’s inquiry, Elijah retorts with self-pity. Instead of rebuking him, the Lord gently pulls him from his despair by giving him three new assignments (vv. 15, 16) and by assuring him that he is not alone (v. 18). Indeed, there were 7,000 others. God has always had a remnant (see Paul’s use of vv. 10, 14 in Rom. 11:3).[2]

1 Kings 19:15–18 NIV

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.”

Ultimately, the answer to God’s question, “What are you doing here?” was to go back to doing what he was called to do. What are you called to do?

In His presence He gives us purpose.

3 Takeaways from Being in the Presence of the Lord

In His presence He reminds us we are not alone.

In His presence He gives us His name

In His presence He gives us purpose.

When we talk about the presence of the Lord, we often think of the worship service or times in the altars. We need to stretch our Presence of the Lord experiences to be even the most lonely of times. God is able to meet us there and strengthen us. In His presence we are reminded that we are not alone, we are His children, and He has a plan for us.

[1]D. L. Moody, Notes from My Bible: From Genesis to Revelation (Chicago; New York; Toronto: Fleming H. Revell, 1895), 56.

[2]Jack W. Hayford, ed., Spirit Filled Life Study Bible, electronic ed. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1997), 1 Ki 19:14.