Hearing From the Lord
Scripture Reading — 1 Kings 19:1-18
A great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind.
The prophet Elijah was running for his life. He had been faithful to God, warning King Ahab and Queen Jezebel that they needed to obey God and stop misleading the people of Israel. But Ahab and Jezebel would not listen—not even after God showed his power through Elijah in a dramatic showdown (1 Kings 18). Instead, Jezebel threatened to hunt Elijah down and kill him.
So Elijah ran away into the wilderness. There God sent an angel to care for him, and that gave him energy to keep traveling all the way to Horeb (Mt. Sinai), where God had met Moses and the people of Israel many years earlier (Exodus 19-20).
In a cave on Mount Horeb, Elijah heard God calling him to come out and meet him as he passed by. A series of storms came. A great wind tore at the mountain and shattered rocks. But God was not in the wind. Then the earth shook, and fire came out of nowhere, but God was not in the earthquake or the fire.
Then there was a sound of stillness. And Elijah emerged, with his face covered, to meet with God. God spoke with encouragement and care, giving Elijah new tasks to do. And these included anointing another prophet so that Elijah would no longer work alone.
In this way the Lord reaffirmed Elijah, and Elijah continued to serve God faithfully.
Dear Lord, we long for your guidance in our lives today. Thank you for your encouraging Word. Help us to serve you faithfully. Amen.
About the author — Jason Zuidema and David Rozeboom
Dr. Jason Zuidema is executive director of the North American Maritime Ministry Association (namma.org) and an elder in the Église réformée du Québec. David Rozeboom serves as chaplain at the Montreal Ministry to Seafarers of the Christian Reformed Church (ministrytoseafarers.org). The authors thank Kevin Walker, NAMMA director of programs, for editorial assistance.
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