1 Kings 19:8-13
"8 And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.
9 There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”10 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke 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. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”"
This strange and dramatic experience has been variously interpreted. It obviously lends itself to spiritual application in many ways. We can but suggest one or two for today's thought. We may note in the first place, as someone has pointed out, that the spectacular manifestation at Horeb must have proved an undoubted stimulus to Elijah. In his exhaustion, the Lord had ministered to his physical needs by giving him rest and sleep, and now he was ready for such a mental and emotional exhilaration as the earthquake, wind, and fire supplied. We should not underestimate this very 'human' need in our assessment of the problem of complete spiritual renewal and restoration. The old adage 'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy' has more basic spiritual insight than we might imagine. There is such a thing as mental weariness and dullness which can be greatly accentuated by an over-wrought state, but which can be caused also by lack of adequate mental stimulus. It has been noticed by one missionary organisation, for example, that in the rigorous conditions of the field, missionaries who did not have some cultural interest tended to crack up much more readily than those who did. This is too significant to be passed over lightly. A spirituality that neglects either mind or body is not truly Biblical in its emphasis, God's care is for the whole man, body, mind and spirit, and thus did He minister to Elijah - first his bodily needs, then the mental stimulus, and then the still small voice speaking to his spirit.