In the Cave

February 27, 2024

From Pastor Joseph Wamack

In the Bible, there is a famous prophet named Elijah. Elijah had his most incredible moment of strength, power and promise when he faced off against 850 prophets of Baal (a false god) on Mt Carmel and came out victorious.

But then, in the next part of his story, he is afraid, runs away, feel so depressed he wants to die and ends up hiding in a cave, all alone, empty, feeling devoid of hope and God’s Presence. He felt like a failure. What happened? How could he go from mountain top victory to dark cave failure so quickly? I am not sure, but I do know one thing:

The dark cave of failure is where each of us will spend some time at some point. Perhaps you feel as if you are in that cave now. Nobody plans on visiting it, but everybody does some time.

The hardest thing about being in the cave is wondering if God has misplaced you. Did he forget his promises? Does he remember where I am? Will I ever be anywhere but in the cave? Does he hear my prayers here? These are thoughts Elijah might have had.

But there is one important fact to remember. It is in the dark, empty cave that God does some of his best work. The dark cave of failure is where you meet God. God does some of his best work in caves. In our culture, failure carries the shame of not only not succeeding, but of being a failure. When I am honest about it, I discover much of the pain of failure for me is not just that I failed, not achieved what I hoped-but that others might think of me as a failure. It wasn’t that I failed, but it is that I am a failure.

But it is in the dark cave of failure and emptiness we can discover we are loved by God. When you are down to nothing then be reminded-God is up to something. If you know you are loved by God when you feel the weight of failure, then you’ll know there is no place where you will be beyond his care. One of the greatest gifts failure can give is the realization we are loved and valued by God even in the cave of failure.

Sometimes there is no way out of the cave. In those times all you can do is find refuge in God. Then you will learn God knows about caves, darkness and feeling alone. Jesus understood that cave feeling, more than Elijah. When Jesus was crucified and died, they put his body in a cave. That was their big mistake. His body was there for three days but the grave could not hold him. They forgot God does his best work in caves. The cave is where God resurrects dead things.

Maybe you are in a cave situation now. Maybe you are not in a cave at all. Maybe you never have been. But someday you will. Sooner or later everyone must enter the cave of adversity. Even the greatest prophet must enter the cave. If you are in a cave now or have been, take heart. God does some of his best work in the cave.