Our Mount Horeb

UV 798/10,000 Our Mount Horeb When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, a voice came to him, and said, “ What are you doing here, Elijah?” I Kings 19 v 13 The prophet Elijah had received a death threat from the wicked Queen Jezebel. He travelled forty days and nights to Mount Horeb and took refuge in a cave on the mountain. He heard a word from the Lord to stand on the mountain. We too when we face our greatest challenge should stand on that challenge for our greatest challenge is our Mount Horeb where the Lord will manifest Himself. We should not take cover in the caves of our apprehension, disappointment and despondency. We must not wallow in the shallows of despondency. The Lord will ask us, “ What are you doing here?” We must replace our despondency with our dependency on the Lord. He will show up as He did to Elijah and meet us at the point of our need. It is interesting to see how the Lord did not even address Elijah’s fear and death threat but spoke directly about his next destination, tasks and mission. The word “ manifest” itself means reveal oneself to man. The Bible is God’s manifesto to man. Though God is awesome and powerful, He does not believe in shock and awe tactics. He did not reveal Himself in the mighty wind, the earthquake or the fire on Mount Horeb but He revealed Himself to Elijah in the gentle breeze of a still, small voice. He is present in the whisper of the Holy Spirit. When we seek the Lord in our times of distress, we must not look for Him in signs and wonders but tune our ears to hear His still, small voice. The Lord spoke to Elijah as a person speaks to another. He knew what Elijah was doing on Mount Horeb but He wanted to let him unburden himself by speaking about the imminent death threat. The Lord then gave him specific directions of where he must go and what he must do. He gives him the prophetic means of his deliverance and vindication. He also gives him the succession plan for his prophetic ministry. We too must turn our ‘horrible’ experiences into a Mount Horeb experience where we seek and meet with the Lord manifesting Himself. We may not experience an earthquake, winds or fire but we will certainly hear His still, small voice like the gentle blowing of the breeze that will put to rest our fears and anxieties and give us a clear direction of where to go and what to do. His voice will assuage our fears. His words will encourage us. His presence will empower us. Elijah approached the presence of the Lord with reverence by covering his face with his mantle. We too must recognize that we are unworthy to look upon the face of the Lord. Even the angels cover their faces with their wings as they are in the presence of the Lord. In his brush with Jehovah, Elijah’s mantle picks up the anointing of His presence and when it falls on his successor Elisha, the latter received a double anointing of the power manifested through the life and ministry of Elijah. We cannot enter and leave the presence of the Lord without receiving His anointing. Elijah the one who feared death does not even die but is taken up eventually in a chariot of fire. Jesus is that chariot of fire that rescues us today from death and its consequences. Prateep V Philip