What Doest Thou Here?
1 Kings 19:9 says, “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?”
God used Elijah in a mighty way to proclaim His message (1 Ki 17:1), and to show His power over the prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel (1 Ki 18:38). But now, he is found hiding inside “a cave.” God restores him with a message of hope and encouragement by asking, ”What doest thou here, Elijah?” Often, we find ourselves in the same cave of discouragement. Whenever we get dismayed and defeated, as if all our hopes have crumbled (Job 12:25), we can rest assured that God will come and ask the same question, ”What doest thou here?”
After seeing that Jezebel was vowing to strike vengeance (v. 2), for her slaughtered priests (1 Ki 18:40), Elijah “arose, and went for his life” (v. 3)! It is always dangerous to look at people instead of God (Prov 29:25). We must learn to “trust in the Lord” (Prov 3:5), and have our minds set on Him. Because He promised to keep us “in perfect peace” (Isa 26:3)! When Moses sent the twelve spies to Canaan, ten of them saw the facts and were terrified (Num 13:33). But only Caleb and Joshua saw the truth (Num 14:6), and were willing to obey God’s command.
The men of Israel saw the facts about Goliath and “were sore afraid” (1 Sam 17:24). But only David saw the truth and asked, “Is there not a cause?” (1 Sam 17:29), thereby defeating the Philistine champion with a sling. Our Lord Jesus can see both facts and truth (Jn 1:42), because He is “the Truth” (Jn 14:6)! We must never allow life’s trials and tribulations to dominate us. Instead, let us look “unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Heb 12:2). As Christians, He did not save us to cower in fear inside the cave of defeat. Jesus saved us to experience His victory, power, and joy (2 Tim 1:7)! God bless you!
-Pastor Melito Barrera
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