Were there days where all you wanted was to hide inside a cave, shut the world out, and tell God 'I had enough!'... I did, and before I felt too ashamed of myself, Elijah did too.
I'm very touched to read that while Elijah was in the cave feeling so depressed, God did not tell him to 'toughen up', 'grow up', or get his act together. He simply cajoled him to go out of the cave and watch what happens. Then just when he thought God will appear in an earthquake or strong winds, there was nothing.
Yes.. nothing after one last desperate hopeless prayer. Nothing after you curl up and die. Nothing even when you finally convinced yourself to feed on some food and watch some tv, and nothing when the thoughts in your brain start to churn. Then one day, it comes in that still small voice to tell you what to do.
There are some spirits which must go through a discipline analogous to that sustained by Elijah. The storm-struggle must precede the still small voice. There are minds which must be convulsed with doubt before they can repose in faith. There are hearts which must be broken with disappointment before they can rise into hope. There are dispositions which, like Job, must have all things taken from them before they can find all things again in God. Blessed is the man who, when the tempest has spent its fury, recognizes his Father’s voice in its under-tone, and bares his head and bows his knee, as Elijah did. (F. W. Robertson)
