Darlene Rose

Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

He said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

So He said, “Go forth and stand on the mountain before the LORD ” And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing.

When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave And behold, a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

 It is not stated that he sought the Lord initially and then got a response.  It appears that the Lord initiated this contact because it says only that the word of the Lord came to him. The Lord wanted not so much to chide Elijah about his whereabouts, but rather wanted Elijah to have a good answer for the purpose of where he was.

The first time he heard the Lord ask him “What are you doing here?”  Elijah was in a cave, but it was possible the Angel of the Lord instructed him where to go, because he was content to be under the Juniper Tree. The second time he heard the Lord ask him what he was doing there, he was in a mountain, at the instruction of the Lord.

I believe that both times it was the Lord who sent Elijah but Elijah’s eyes were not focused upon this fact, nor were his ears in tune to what the Lord was saying.

The second time, Elijah hid under his mantle (authority or anointing) to approach the Lord.  He still did not respond the way the Lord was wanting him to respond.  It was the Lord who sent him.  Yet Elijah was not in tune with Him.

The Lord knows where we are and why.  He leads us and guides us.  He directs our paths, even when we aren’t paying attention.  What He wants is our awareness.

“What are you doing here?  Yes I know I led you here but why?  Tell me Darlene.  What are you doing here?”