Why Are You Here?

“...the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’” 1 Kings 19:9

Twice that question was asked of the prophet, and twice his conscience was disturbed by it. The first time he was in his dark cave, and he answered it evasively. Then came storm and earthquake and fire, and in the eery silence that followed Elijah heard the “still small voice,” the voice of conscience, of inner authenticity, and of personal reality. Then he went out and stood in the cave’s entrance. From there he could look out over the world. Again the question came from the Lord, “Why are you here, Elijah?” V 13

Almost as if in a trance, Elijah responded with the same evasive words as before. But immediately the Lord ordered Elijah out on an enterprise of practical service. And Elijah went. In service of God’s purposes Elijah found new meaning and fulfillment.

What happened to Elijah?
He moved out from his mood of self-pity and morbid self-concern. He stopped feeling sorry for himself. In his cave he was like a woman I read about: “She is blessed with a sympathetic disposition, but she wastes it on herself.” Elijah had allowed his sympathies to become poisonously ingrown. The change came when he redirected his sympathies to other persons and their needs.

Truth is, Elijah found life’s deepest meanings not in contemplation, but in commitment. Life presents its meanings and purposes to us not in neat intellectual formulas, but when we engage in the life of service to which or commitments direct us. Albert Schweitzer said that we should all look for places where we can “invest our humanity.”

I find this very suggestive. It gives me a new perspective on the New Testament, particularly the gospels. Much of Jesus’ teaching and activity can be interpreted as exercises in showing persons how they can break out of their dark caves and respond to the great question...“Why are you here?”