"Don't Run on Emptiness Elijah was a man with a nature like ours. --JAMES 5:17 NASB Have you ever been to a large concert or a speaking event with thousands of others around you talking or clapping or singing and still felt alone or empty? That feeling is very common to those of us who are living in a merry-go-round world. So much noise, but so little caring. Elijah of the Bible felt just like that--empty with no purpose in life. In 1 Kings 19:1-18 we find him: * v. 2--being threatened to have his life taken; * v. 3--afraid; * v. 4--praying that he might die; * v. 5--touched by an angel who said, "Arise, eat."; * v. 9--asked by the Lord, "What are you doing here?"; * v. 11--being told to go stand on the mountain before the LORD; * vv. 11-12--confronted by strong winds, an earthquake, a fire, and a sound of gentle blowing (or a gentle whisper); * v. 14--telling the LORD he had done all the LORD had asked and that he alone was left. Yes, Elijah was as human as we are. He was threatened, he was alone, he wanted to die, he was confused, he wanted to give in and call it quits. But he didn't, he went on top of the mountain. In verses 11-12 he heard the sound of a gentle whisper. He could have ignored the message, but he didn't. By wise counsel from the Lord, Elijah was assured that he wasn't done (vv. 15-16); he wasn't alone (v. 16); he wasn't a failure (v. 18). If you find yourself in that empty state like Elijah, you, too, can be assured that you are not done, not alone, and not a failure. Listen to that gentle whisper and get back on track. How does one get back on the right track? Scripture gives us four ways to get away so we can hear the whisper of God's voice: 1. Go to a quiet spot."