Elijah’s story is one of power, confrontation, and victory. In 1 Kings 18, he experienced one of the most dramatic moments of his life, calling down fire from heaven in the showdown against the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. You would think that after such a decisive victory, Elijah would feel confident, but in the very next chapter, we find him fleeing for his life from Queen Jezebel. The powerful prophet who stood fearlessly on Carmel was now a man on the run, gripped by fear and despair.
After running for his life, Elijah ended up in the wilderness, sitting under a broom tree. This is one of the most poignant moments in the Bible, as we see Elijah reach the end of himself. He was exhausted, defeated, and done. But even in the midst of his darkest moment, God had already prepared a place of rest for him. The broom tree, a plant that takes years to grow, was there to provide Elijah with shade and shelter. It wasn’t just coincidence—God had been growing that tree long before Elijah’s journey began. Just as God prepared that tree for Elijah, He often places people and situations in our lives to sustain us when we reach our limit.
Under that tree, Elijah was fed by an angel, not once but twice. It’s easy to overlook these moments as small or insignificant, but in reality, they’re miraculous. Elijah didn’t get a dramatic rescue—he didn’t need it. What he needed was the strength to keep going, and God provided it. In the same way, when we find ourselves at the end of our strength, God often sends small, quiet mercies—a timely text, a word of encouragement, or a stranger’s kindness—to remind us that He is still with us, feeding us with the sustenance we need for the journey ahead.
After this, Elijah traveled to Mt. Horeb, the mountain of God, where he had a life-changing encounter. Expecting another dramatic moment from God, perhaps something like what happened on Mt. Carmel, Elijah waited. And God did show up—but not in the way Elijah expected. There was a powerful wind, but God wasn’t in the wind. There was an earthquake, but God wasn’t in the earthquake. There was a fire, but God wasn’t in the fire. Then came a gentle whisper—a still, small voice—and that’s where Elijah encountered God.
This is one of the great lessons of Elijah’s story: God often works quietly, in ways we don’t expect. We want Him to act like dynamite, changing things in big, dramatic moments, but more often, He works like yeast, slowly and steadily bringing about change over time. In the quiet moments, in the small interactions, God is at work, and it’s in these places that we often find His presence the most clearly.
When Elijah heard the whisper, he came out of the cave, and God asked him a question: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” It’s the same kind of question God asked Adam in the Garden of Eden and Peter when Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” God doesn’t ask these questions because He needs information—He asks them to engage our hearts. In Elijah’s case, the question was both convicting and comforting. Elijah’s response revealed his despair—he felt like the last one standing, the last prophet of God. But God’s reply was full of hope: there were still 7,000 who hadn’t bowed to Baal. Elijah wasn’t alone, and God’s mission wasn’t finished.
God’s gentle voice restored Elijah’s hope. The dramatic change Elijah had hoped for wasn’t coming through a single moment, but God was still working. Elijah was renewed with purpose and sent back on mission, picking up a friend, Elisha, along the way. The slow, steady work of God continued, just as it does in our lives.
We often think that God’s most significant work happens in the big moments, but the truth is that He’s working in the quiet, everyday details of our lives. The broom tree in the desert didn’t grow overnight—it took years to be ready for Elijah. Likewise, God is planting and preparing things in our lives, long before we know we’ll need them. These “broom trees” are people, circumstances, or even Scriptures that will sustain us when we find ourselves in the wilderness.
God’s presence in the quiet moments drives out fear and replaces it with hope. We may want God to act like dynamite, but His ways are often like yeast, transforming us slowly over time. And as we walk through the peaks and valleys of life, we can trust that God is always with us, feeding us when we’re weak, sheltering us when we’re weary, and speaking to us in the still, small voice that sustains our souls.
Here is a song I published on Biblical Hope:
https://suno.com/song/a47e4826-0666-4d4c-b204-de199156dfa4
Questions for Reflection and Application:
- Have you ever expected God to work in a “Mt. Carmel” way but found Him working quietly instead? How did that impact your faith?
- Can you identify a “broom tree” moment in your life where God provided for you in a way you didn’t expect?
- How can you listen for God’s still, small voice in the midst of your busy life?
- What steps can you take to trust in God's long, quiet work, even when you feel discouraged or overwhelmed?
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