THERE was once a man whose vigorous efforts to re-establish pure monotheism among his countrymen resulted in his being bitterly persecuted by the reigning monarch of the land. This man, the prophet Elijah, had a high and Christly sense of God as the only power and presence. He recognized monotheism as the only basis of true religion, and he refused to make concessions to popular and prevailing forms of idolatry. At one point in his career, following a magnificent triumph for the forces of good which he represented, he was forced to flee for his life to the wilderness and, greatly discouraged, sought sanctuary in a cave on Mount Horeb.
As he tarried there in the darkness, consciousness was suddenly roused by a deeply spiritual experience. We read (I Kings 19:9), "Behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?" Upon the prophet's explanation of the cause of his despair, there came the divine demand for progress in these words: "Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord." Then followed the recognition of the nothingness of violent, elemental forces and the revelation of the all-encompassing presence and power of God, who is infinite good and whose tender care for His children is unfailing.
The experience of this man of long ago holds deep significance for the modern individual whose struggles against some afflictive circumstance may have appeared fruitless. Human reasoning may cause him to withdraw into a dark cavern of hopelessness and discouragement, where the formless fears of mortality loom threateningly before him.
