One ThingSample

The One Thing That Grounds You

The Lord was not in the wind…not in the earthquake…not in the fire. And after the fire, the sound of a low whisper” (1 Kings 19:11-12, ESV).

Elijah was no stranger to high highs and low lows. On Mount Carmel, in a showdown with four hundred prophets of Baal, he laid the ground rules for a cosmic duel. They would call upon the name of their god, and he would call upon the name of the Lord, and whoever answered by fire, he was God.

The prophets of Baal set up their sacrifice, and they chanted, cried, danced, and cut themselves for hours on end, and nothing happened. No one responded, and there was no fire.

Then Elijah set up his sacrifice, and he doused it with water three times. He called on the name of the Lord, and said, “Let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant” (1 Kings 18:36, ESV). And then fire fell from heaven and consumed the burnt offering, and everything in its path.

It’s one of the most spectacular displays of God’s power in the Bible, and yet, in the next chapter, Elijah is on the run. Exhausted and afraid, he fears Jezebel will kill him, and he pleads with God to take his life.

“It’s too much, God,” he pleads. “Take away my life, for I’m no better than my fathers” (1 Kings 19:4, ESV). In other words, if the people won’t return to you now, after what just happened, there’s no hope for them or me.

Do you sense the disconnect in Elijah’s heart?

He had just emerged victorious over all his enemies. The prophets of Baal were all destroyed, and the people who witnessed it fell on their faces and acknowledged that the Lord was God. But Queen Jezebel’s declaration that she wanted to kill him was the last straw, and Elijah wanted to quit.

It’s an intense and complex story. Elijah was winning at life, but he was also emotionally and physically exhausted and unable to see things as they truly were. He thought he was the only one left who was loyal to Yahweh, but God had seven thousand others, who had not bowed their knees to false gods.

Elijah’s story serves as a reminder that our emotional state doesn’t always mirror reality. Our feelings can be helpful, but we’re not meant to be ruled by them. Like Elijah, you may long to feel God’s presence. There are times when God graciously gives us mountain-top experiences. Still, sometimes, like Elijah, we find ourselves emotionally spent and wonder why God feels far away, or we don’t feel anything at all.

High highs and low lows are exhausting, but the pursuit of holy leisure invites you to a welcome middle ground. Just as Elijah was looking to hear from God in the wind, earthquake, and fire, it was in the still, small voice—the low whisper, where God spoke to him.

A quiet, steady rhythm of meeting with God will tune our hearts to his. Sometimes, God speaks in the whirlwind, but more often it’s a whisper. Let’s open his Word and lean in to hear him. He speaks if only we’ll listen.