Elijah's Inspiration

We could hardly expect to see and experience what the mighty prophet Elijah did. Still, nothing keeps us from learning by his humanity. I offer this excerpt from the coming book…
1 Kings 19:9-18 — By this time, the natural cause of depression was long past and we see Elijah cherishing it sinfully. While in the cave, he heard from God a query why he was there. His calling had been to prophesy in Israel against the sins of Ahab and Jezebel. Having proven Jehovah’s power over all the gods of man’s imagination, he feared the rage of woman publicly humiliated. Was the God who lit his own sacrifice atop Mount Carmel, on Melkarth’s own home ground, somehow unable to keep him from her vengeance? His response to the question amounts to a childish accusation that God had not kept things perfectly suitable for his mission. We sense he felt he should not have had to face Jezebel’s natural response. Perhaps she should have humbled herself to him? While her threat was real, so was God’s calling and protection. He should have been glad for a chance to die for his Lord, had that been God’s plan. Elijah indicated God was capricious and would not finish what He started, that He was toying with Elijah, as Obadiah had feared Elijah was doing to him there in the shadow of Samaria.
To remind him that same power at Carmel was still behind his calling, God showed him a storm, with winds powerful enough to shatter stone. Then there followed an earthquake that shifted the very ground itself like water. Finally came fire, a natural result of earthquakes opening up the ground for lava flows. Had God meant for Elijah to die, no human effort could have save him. Just so, had God meant Elijah to live, neither human effort nor worldwide catastrophe could harm him. When the cataclysms gave way to the gentle presence of God dealing with His servants, Elijah came out of the cave. Covering his face was a customary way of showing shame before his Master. Facing the same question as before, Elijah gave the same answer. The new context changed the meaning of both question and answer. Now Elijah was simply stating the facts and had no excuse for being away from his mission.