“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?’” (I Kings 19:9, NIV)
When our daily agenda is full of commitments — including urgent matters that appear in the line-up uninvited — we need to consider the question that came from God to the prophet Elijah when Elijah was hiding in a cave in fear of Queen Jezebel, who had sworn to kill him within 24 hours: “What are you doing here?”
Socrates, the ancient Greek philosopher, is thought to have said: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Yet, it is very difficult for most people to look critically at where they are in life; and the paths they’ve taken to arrive at that point.
I believe that had Elijah closely examined his personal history and, more importantly, the presence of God in his personal history; and the deliverance of Elijah by the hand of God against impossible odds; Elijah may still have been in the cave, but he would not have been there in mortal fear of Jezebel, and of the mind that God had abandoned him.
Take the time — and the courage — to spend five minutes in self-examination. Answer the question: “What are you doing here?” It is the only sure way to keep in step with the cadence of God for your life. – Luther
