"Hold Please"

There he came to a cave, where he spent the night. But the Lord said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" Elijah replied, "I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I alone am left, and now they are trying to kill me, too." "Go out and stand before me on the mountain," the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He replied again, "I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I alone am left, and now they are trying to kill me, too." Then the Lord told him, "Go back the way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus. (1 Kings 19:9-15, NLV).

I don’t know about you, but as for me, I find it very difficult to wait for anything. Perhaps it is our cultural experience that has brought us to such impatience. Perhaps my most difficult area is the telephone. Many of us have experienced the frustration we felt when we were placed on hold. You finally reach a real person, and before you can give your name or state your reason for calling you are quickly asked, "Hold, please!" Some companies have even implemented automated phone systems. You know the kind where computerized voice asks, "press 1 if this, press 2 if that." You listen patiently and your particular area of interest is not represented then finally the voice says, "Hold for an operator" followed by the message, "All of our operators are currently busy, Hold please for the next available operator." And, I roll my eyes and think, “please hurry!”

I don’t like to wait. Perhaps you can identify. If so, then when we hear those words, "Hold, please" we instantly become frustrated. The question is what do you do when you hear these words, some decide to hang up only to be put on hold again, while others have learned to hold on. The feeling of frustration is no less frustrating when the person you are trying to reach is God. The Eternal One, who never sleeps nor slumbers, the Omnipresent One whom is everywhere at the same time. The One who is able to do all things. We become frustrated when we call on him in prayer and the return reply seems to be, “Hold, please.”

On Mt. Carmel, Elijah had first hand knowledge that God hears and answers prayer and he can answer them quickly. Mohammad Ali once said that he was so quick that he could turn off the light and get in bed before the room got dark. That’s Quick. But My God can answer prayers quicker than that. My God can turn off the lights, dispatch angels to camp around my bedside and prepare my way for the next morning all before the room gets dark. That’s Quick. My God is quicker than fast and faster than quick! Elijah knew that too. Elijah knew beyond a shadow of doubt that God hears and answers prayers. In Chapter 18, Elijah enjoys great success in his prayer life. Every time he calls on God, he receives an answer quickly. However, in Chapter 19, we find Elijah on the run. Running for his life. While on the run Elijah prays, but God put Elijah on hold. Don’t fool yourself God will put you on hold. Simply put God does not always answers prayers quickly. Sometimes you just have to hold on. I’ve had to learn that God may not come when you want Him but He is always on time.

So what do you do when God has put you on hold? All you can do is Hold the Line. Because it is better to be on hold with the Lord then to be on your own. What do you do when God says, Hold Please? Don’t hang up; don’t decide to try back later. Later may be too late. Hold the line. Elijah held the line. First, Elijah felt the wind blowing strong, he thought that the Lord was on the line speaking through the wind, but the Lord was not in the wind, Elijah was still on hold. Then he heard the Earthquake, Elijah ran to check the line but he found out that God was not in the Earthquake. Next, Elijah saw the Fire he ran to check the line and found that he was still on hold. Finally, because Elijah was still holding on the prayer line, he heard a still small voice. If you hold the line God will answer. You can rest assured, you have confidence, and you can have certainty that the Lord will pick up the line. That’s the truth!