Mountain Mode

[The Lord] said “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces 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; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. – 1 Kings 19:11-12 (NRSV) 

Elijah heard God in the silence. But in order to hear God in that silence, he had to do some other things first. 

For starters, he had to actually get out of the cave he was hiding in and go to the mountain—a feat in itself, to crawl out of a safe, dark cave and onto an exposed mountaintop.  

And then, he had to wait. Elijah stayed through breakneck wind, destabilizing earthquakes, and raging fire waiting for God. It probably felt like the end of the world.  

Elijah must have been either very patient or very desperate to stay in that mountaintop chaos, waiting for God. He also must have truly believed God was coming, not to have been too swayed or burned while he waited.  

This is the kind of faith we need today: The kind that urges us to leave the safety of our hiding places and show up on the open mountain. The kind that trusts God to appear as promised, even when the situation feels pretty desperate. The kind that makes us patient enough to stand firm in the chaos until the peace of God arrives, sustaining us for our next trek.  

Prayer
Holy One, I’m here on your mountain, waiting to see how you will show up this time. Amen.

About the Author
Rev. Kate Kennedy is a New Hampshire-based UCC pastor pursuing a career in family therapy.