We know Elijah as a mighty prophet of the Lord. We do not know where Elijah came from, but his name tells us all we need to know, because it meant, “My God is Jehovah”. We think of Elijah and know he is a man of God.

We read about Elijah standing before wicked King Ahab and bluntly proclaiming a drought on Israel until further notice because of Ahab’s and Jezebel’s sins. Elijah called down fire from heaven, slew the false prophets of Baal, and then summoned a storm to end more than three years of drought. Elijah stood before God as the wind rend the mountains, the earthquake shook the earth, and the fire played around the Horeb heights. Elijah chose Elisha to be his apprentice, and then denounced Ahab for the murder of Naboth and foretelling the deaths of Ahab and Jezebel. Elijah called down fire from heaven to consume company after company of soldiers sent to arrest him. When we think of Elijah, we imagine him being taken home to glory in a chariot of fire.

We never think of him of proclaiming his own goodness. However, Elijah did just that after the Carmel incident when depression set in, making him run away from Jezebel. When he was there, he was confronted with the question from the Lord:

Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” ¹⁰ He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.” (1 King 19:9-10 NRSV)

Can you relate to Elijah? Do you feel God asking you, “What are you doing there?” Where has God placed you? Are you able to uphold your integrity? Are you able to honor your word to Jesus since you call him your Lord and Savior?

Did God place your business in an industry where you need to bribe people to get things going? Did he place you in an office environment that causes you to compromise your values? Or did He place you in an adulterous or abusive marriage? Where did God place you? However, the more important question is —what are you doing there?

Going back to Elijah’s account, how did he reply? He listed down a bunch of things he did for God. He was not satisfied in doing it once; he needed to repeat it another time (1 Kings 19:14). God’s response to Elijah was the name and the address of Elisha. Based from God’s response, He was already preparing the way for another great prophet to inherit Elijah’s calling.

Eventually, this response humbled Elijah because at the end of the day, we can never claim credit for anything we are able to accomplish in this world. Our integrity is dependent on how we acknowledge or disregard God’s empowerment in our lives.

Christmas is such a joyous time of the year because it reminds us that because of Jesus, we are saved. We are healed. We are restored. We can celebrate each year because of this glorious day more than 2000 years ago.

God is asking you, “What are you doing here?” Can you answer him with integrity? Can you honestly say, “I am where you want to be, my Lord?” It’s something we need to think about on this very important day.

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