What Are You Doing Here?

1 Kings 19:9 “And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?

I don’t really like caves. This past May, my daughter and I went to the Cave of the Winds in Colorado Springs, CO. We took a tour inside tunnels that had been excavated over a hundred years ago. It was interesting and insightful, I learned so much, but…I was really looking forward to seeing the light of day outside!

In 1 Kings 19:9, God asks Elijah, “What are you doing here?” How many of you know that God knew Elijah was there in the cave? So He was really saying “you’re in the wrong place, Elijah.” In 1 Kings 19:1-3, Elijah made a very important decision but for the wrong reasons. Have you ever made a decision for the wrong reason? I know I have. Why did Elijah “run for his life”? Because of a fearful imagination.

In verse 2, Jezebel threatened Elijah’s life. In verse 3 it says something interesting, “When he saw that, he arose, and went for his life”. He began to envision what it would be like to die from a sword. Our negative imagination can cause us to make a wrong decision in a moment of panic, fear, or intimidation. The Holy Spirit always leads us, but the enemy always forces or drives us. Today, let the peace of God be the umpire of your heart and mind. Don’t stay where you shouldn’t be and don’t go where you shouldn’t go. Be lead by God’s peace and prompting, even when you’re a little nervous. Bottom line, may we never find ourselves in a place where God needs to ask us, “What are you doing here?”