“And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 1 Kings 19:9

I enjoy the probing questions that are found throughout the Bible. Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?” Saul, on his way to Damascus was asked by Jesus, “Why are you persecuting Me?” In 1 Kings 19:9, we find another such question. After Elijah’s victory over Baal on Mt. Carmel, he finds himself on the run from Ahab’s wife, hold up in a cave. It is during this cave experience that God asked Elijah a powerful question: “What are you doing here Elijah?”

First of all, God knew why Elijah was in that cave and what brought him there. The question was not so much for information as it was intended to stir up something inside of Elijah. It was as if God was asking, “How did you get from the place where you were confident, fearless, and willing to defend my name, to hiding out in a cave, fearful of the king’s wife and feeling like you are all alone?” What happened?

I believe at times God asks the same question to us. As I mentioned, Elijah had a cave experience. We have them too. Elijah lost his focus. So do we. God wants to know from us how we can go from the high places of trust to the low places of doubt and fear when He is unchanging. If God asks you today, “What are you doing here?” What are you going to say?