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 to 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's son, of Nimshi, king over Israel, and anoint Elisha’s son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as a prophet. Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escapes 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.”. 1 Kings 19:9-18
God tells you, "Come out of the Cave!"
Elijah was so afraid that he fled to Horeb to save his life. His fear was so great that he hid in a cave and wished he was dead. His fear was so great that Elijah forgot what his call was. He forgot who He was and who had sent him. He forgot his purpose and decided to hide. Like Elijah, many Christians forget their purpose and hide when they face adversity. They hide because they let fear into their lives. They believed the devil's lies and allowed fear to take control of their lives. The cave can be a symbol of where we lock ourselves in, or of the attitude, we take when we do not want to face the trials and problems that happen in our lives. It symbolizes the moment we allow ourselves to be controlled by fear and anguish.
No matter how long you have been a Christian, there will always be times when you seek to lock yourself in a cave. Times when you will want to escape everything and everyone; run away from the present reality and hide. The key is not to stay there, to find a way to not get comfortable in that place and get out.
If you analyze the scriptural portion, you realize that even there, in the cave, God found Elijah. God will always be with you, even inside the cave. There is no place where God cannot find you, so it is better to stop running. God's question was, what are you doing here? This shows that God was there with Elijah. Elijah quickly wanted to make excuses to God for why he was there; we do the same; we try to explain our actions to God as if he and He did not know all our thoughts already.
The cave represents depression, fear, defeat, frustration, shame, sadness, and darkness. It is why God told him to get out and stand on the mountain before Him. God wanted to show Elijah His power. The cave prevents you from seeing what God is doing in your life. It prevents you from seeing what God is doing for you. The cave blinds you and does not let you see the Blessings God has given you and the Blessings He has for you. The cave prevents you from seeing the greatness of God. It does not let you see your purpose in Christ. It was until Elijah came out of the cave that God was able to show him the greatness of him that he was able to remind him that he had never been alone. It was not until leaving the cave that Elijah understood that the presence of God was not in those manifestations. As the scriptural portion says: When he heard the still small voice covering his face, this lets us see that he realized that the presence of God was with him at all times. God was able to show Elijah what his purpose was and remind him of his calling as a prophet.
Like Elijah, God wants to show you your calling. While the enemy wants you to believe that you have no purpose, he makes you think God has abandoned you. God has always been there by your side. He wants to remind you of your purpose, and that He is greater than any problem. It is time to let go of fear and hold on to the hand of God. You are not alone; God has always been with you. Elijah understood the importance of his presence. From the presence of God, you come out strengthened, you come out with courage against the enemy, and you come out willing not to return there. I invite you to seek His presence and let him act in your life. Believe me; He will give you the courage you need to fight fear. He will renew your strength and help you come out victorious.
Today God tells you, son/daughter, what are you doing inside the cave? He commands you to get out and stand on the mountain before Him. He wants to remind you of your purpose, empower you and give you peace.
