Just Do It

What are you doing here?

I want to revisit this story again. Elijah, fresh from the victory at Mount Carmel, had fled from the repercussions of it all. Jezebel had sworn to take his life in revenge for him destroying all her personal prophets. I can’t quite see why, after all, she was feeding them all and Elijah had just saved her grocery bill a huge pile. However, that was the state of everything, and Elijah had fled. Anywhere but within the reach of Jezebel. The story is in I Kings 19:1-10. Verses 9 & 10 say this :-

“And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” So he said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.” 1 Kings 19:9-10

Ever been in this position? I don’t mean unto death – simply done your best and had everyone howling for your blood? There you are hiding away in a corner and God comes looking for you. “What are you doing here?” He asks. Seems an irrelevant question to you. “What do you think I’m doing, Lord? All I did was what I thought you asked me and now the whole world wants my head on a platter.” I can imagine Father God, smiling and shaking His head. “Do me a favour,” He says, “You keep doing what I asked you to do and I’ll look after the rest !”

At this moment there is a tendency for us to sound a bit like an old single cylinder 50cc moped. “But, but, but, but, but . . . . “ The Lord continues, “It’s a bit of a storm in a teacup isn’t it?” “Oh, is that what you call it?” you splutter. “Yes,” He says, a little more firmly now, “That’s all it is – a storm in a teacup.” “Now – will you keep doing what I asked and leave the rest to Me?”

It may not always be like this, but this is probably a fair précis of what happens quite a few times in our lives – even to those who are most secure in His love. For the rest of us, storms in teacups are the bane of our daily lives. They dominate our existence and they dictate our next hours actions – maybe even longer. We recently had a case where we had made an enquiry about something and before we knew it, we were reportedly set on a course of action that upset a couple of people. Everything was blown way out of proportion and everything that could go wrong did go wrong. All we did was to ask a simple yes/no question.

So let me ask you, what are you doing there (wherever you are)? Are you within the will of God for you? Or are you wandering around doing what you think you should be doing rather than doing what you know that God wants you to be doing? Are you hiding from what God wants you to do? If so – why? What do you need to do to get back into the will of God for you? One thing is for certain, stay where you are and more storms in teacups are sure to be on their way for you. That is when God himself asks you, as He did Elijah, “What are you doing here?” 1 Kings 19:9

As Mary, mother of Jesus, said to the servants at the wedding in Cana – “Whatever He says to you, do it.” (John 2:1-12)