What are you doing here?

Have you seen the film High Noon?  

It's an Oscar-winning 1952 western starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly. In black and white and in real time, the film tells the story of a town marshal forced to face a gang of killers alone, when everyone else deserts him – including all the ‘good’ townsfolk. Throughout the film is the haunting melody of Tex Ritter singing “Do not forsake me Oh my darling…”  You can watch the original trailer here.

This is the kind of western where the hero is a loner, usually driven towards a showdown with the bad guys against his will.  It comes down to the hero versus the rest. He's generally a reasonable man, pushed that little bit too far. And then he has to face down the baddies.

I love the story of Elijah in the bible, not least because it shares some of the same themes. Ancient Israel has been under the rule of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. The Bible tells us that Ahab was more evil than all of his predecessors. Bad stuff is happening. It is against that backdrop that God sends Elijah, the greatest of the Old Testament prophets, to go and stand in front of King Ahab and announce a drought which, it turned out, was to last for nearly three years. 

Elijah must have been quite a character.  All that we really know about him is that he was from Tishbe, which can mean “pioneer town”.  He was a settler, maybe quite rough and ready - probably ill-at-ease in the sophistication of the King’s palace. 

Ahab and Jezebel got pretty fed up with Elijah being the spoilsport, who insisted on reminding them of their obligation to live life with a moral dimension. It got messy. It all came to a head when, in chapter 18 of the First Book of Kings, Elijah steps forward in front of all the people and asked them how long they were going to sit on the fence?  They have to make a choice for God. There then follows quite a shootout…

And yet, not long after in the story, we find Elijah lying under a bush praying for death.  And here is another reason why I love the story of Elijah.  Despite the very different culture and context, it rings true to human experience.  Elijah experiences the whole of life – he is not a cardboard hero. There are not only the mountaintop experiences but also the valleys; the peaks and troughs that human beings experience as part of ordinary life. Just like us.

And now, in chapter 19 (which you can read here), we see that the greatest of the OT prophets finds himself in the wrong place.  He’s lying feeling defeated, curled up in the foetal position,

anxious and hidden.  But God then gives him the three things he most needs: sustenance, company and encouragement.  With the strength of the food and encouragement, Elijah is able to take a step forward in his recovery. 

In life, of course, we have to start from wherever we find ourselves.  As human beings we often make a mess of things and often we are not in a place where it’s easy to see a way forward. We sometimes feel anxious. Yet while he is most in need, in the story God asks: “Elijah, what are you doing here?”

I wonder if any of you reading this are in such a place today? Down a hole. In a pickle. Can’t see the way back or forward.  Like Gary Cooper, facing something that you dread.

God who speaks and reveals Himself to His people at all times and in all places, not in a loud and noisy way but in a gentle whisper, says to you today, “why are you in that place where you find yourself right now?” Not a finger-wagging, blame-laden question but one that brings with it the offer of sustenance, company and encouragement.

Is that where you are today?

It is part of life that we experience the peaks and troughs; the mountaintop experiences and the places where the light finds it hard to reach. As the next part of the story unfolds, not all of Elijah’s questions were answered. Yet God gave Elijah the opportunity to carry on journeying with Him. He gave him nourishment, company and encouragement, some tasks and a purpose for living.

Though we may lack answers to our questions, the place where we most can hope to receive clarity is in the company of the God who still seeks relationship with people today. People like us.