“What are you doing here, (Insert your name)?”

Lectionary Reflection for June 20, 2010

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”

He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.” 1 Kings 19-8-14

(Note: Once again, I am focusing this Sunday on the Old Testament semi-continuous reading and the gospel from the Revised Common Lectionary.)

Ever feel like Elijah? You think you are doing exactly what the LORD wants you to do and things still aren’t turning out? “What’s with this awful mess?” you lament. “Nobody said it was going to be like this!”

Well, Elijah could have told you that. He was so confused and frightened that he found himself a broom tree, laid down, and asked God to take away his life. Jezebel wanted him dead because he had spoken the prophetic word, done what the LORD commanded, and killed all the bad guys. With the royal heat turned up, he chickened out and fled town, so now he figured he might as well get it over with and just curl up and die.

While I can’t say that I’ve ever wanted to go to Elijah’s dramatic lengths, I have wished on occasion that I could pull the covers over my head and not get out of bed until life looks better. I’ve made prayerful decisions in good faith only to wonder if I really did the right thing. Wondering and worrying leads to second guessing; that in turn may lead to anxious feelings and flat out distress. When these feelings give way to full scale panic, it is difficult, if not impossible, to listen to what God is saying. Yes, the very points in our life when we need God most seem to coincide quite often with the time we have the most difficulty listening for the Divine word and guidance.

Whenever you feel that way, remember that God did not let Elijah down. An angel woke him to eat and drink twice before he continued his journey for forty days–an all important biblical number signifying a great distance. That must have been some high-test power food! Whatever the nutritional analysis, the point is that God provided enough to keep Elijah going. God does not let us down either, but we do need to learn how to listen, how to still our anxious hearts and busy minds long enough for God to get a word in edgewise.

According to this story, God is not present for Elijah in the great power shows of nature–wind, earthquake, and fire. No, God is present in the power of sheer silence. God asks simple questions like “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Do you hear Elijah’s response?

“I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away,” he says both times God speaks.

Does God pat Elijah on the back and promise him that everything will be alright, that he’s been a good prophet? Hardly! If you read on, you’ll see that God gives Elijah a new set of orders that will result in a successor and the completion of Elijah’s mission and ministry.

We are not promised an easy path or a success-filled journey. Jacob’s ladder was hardly a glorious corporate climb. Moses didn’t get to finish out his dotage in the Promised Land retirement villa. David got caught with his hand in Bathsheba’s cookie jar, and Paul and company spent a lot of time racking up frequent guest points in prisons rather than four-star hotels.

Look at what happens in today’s gospel lesson. Jesus heals the Gerasene demoniac, but the response is hardly celebratory. Since his healing actions cause the untimely demise of an entire herd of pigs and certain economic catastrophe the owners, he is asked to leave town. People are afraid, concerned, anxious, and cannot truly “see” the great thing that has happened. We don’t know exactly what happened to the former demoniac, but we do know that he went and did shared his story just as Jesus instructed him to do.

It all boils down to faithfulness, I think, and faithfulness involves listening for the still, small voice of God. It may also involve walking a path we would not otherwise choose for ourselves. The good news is that God will not leave us alone. As stewards of the gospel, we may rest assured that God is near and waiting for us to listen up for our operating instructions. Wherever you are, whatever you find yourself doing, try and take a few minutes and “hear” God ask this question: “What are you doing here, (Insert your name)?”

How, dear friend, will you answer?

Click here to visit Come and See Icons and study the Icon “Elijah Hears the Voice of God” by the hand of Nicholas Pappas.

The photo of the statue of Elijah slaying a prophet of Baal is used through a Creative Commons license. The Icon of Elijah in the Wilderness is used with permission for non-profit purposes. Click here to view and read about the history. The image of Jesus healing the demoniac is used courtesy Wikimedia Commons.