“There are only two ways to live your life,” Albert Einstein once said. “One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is.” We live in an age where many live as though they themselves are the miracle.
Ours is a world of self-promotion. Instagram. TikTok. A culture of influencers, curated lifestyles, and the ever-growing temptation to think: “It’s all about me.” Even in faith communities, we can fall into the trap of confusing devotion with performance and calling with self-importance.
If you search for “the top 10 most egotistical people on the planet,” the same crew shows up time and again: influencers, divas and hipsters. We’re not going to name names, as that could be hurtful, but it’s likely that we’d agree with the consensus. We may not like it, but we live in an influencer culture of lifestyle exaggeration. Social media platforms showcase braggarts portraying excessively glamorous lifestyles and shallow self-promotion — all of which is curated to foster envy and FOMO (fear of missing out). And this is the point, after all.
We all deal with people daily who think “it’s all about me.” It’s a cross we must bear. We have an innate dislike for these people. We instinctively recoil from narcissistic behavior.
The one quest that is consistently more important than any other is to discover meaning, to find out why we are here, taking up space on this planet. And this quest inevitably and inexorably leads to God.
This is key: In this discovery, we find meaning, happiness and fulfillment in life. This principle is a sort of biblical Theory of Everything.
This brings us to Elijah—arguably the greatest prophet in ancient Israel—who has just called down fire from heaven, triumphed over 450 prophets of Baal, and broken a three-year drought. A true mountaintop moment.
And yet, the next scene finds him under a broom tree, asking God to end his life.
Why? Because ego and exhaustion are a dangerous combination.
I. Elijah’s Ego: “I Alone Am Left”
King Ahab runs to Queen Jezebel and says, “Let me tell you what Elijah has done.”?Notice: not what God has done, but Elijah. Perhaps Elijah heard this and began to believe it.
Maybe we’ve done the same:
We lead a successful ministry or make a meaningful impact, and pride begins to grow unnoticed.
We assume responsibility for outcomes that are beyond our control and ultimately belong to God.
And when things don’t turn out the way we expected—when Jezebel’s threats replace applause—we spiral. That’s Elijah. His ego, inflated by success, now crumbles under threat.
He says: “I have been very zealous … and I alone am left.”?It sounds spiritual, but it is self-centered. Elijah believes God’s whole plan is at risk because he is in danger.
Friends, whenever we say, “It all depends on me,” we are likely serving ego, not God.
II. Culture Check: We Live in an “All About Me” World
We recoil from narcissism in others, but we all wrestle with the urge to make ourselves the center of the story. It’s not just Elijah. It’s the human condition.
Social media platforms are built to reward attention. Success becomes spectacle. Even spirituality is sometimes commodified—followers, posts, videos. We can do good things for the wrong reasons.
But God doesn’t measure faithfulness by visibility. God looks for relationships.
We see this from Genesis to Revelation—God walking in the garden, calling Adam and Eve; Jesus saying again and again, “Let those who have ears, hear”; and Revelation’s image of Christ knocking, whispering at the door, inviting us to dine.
III. Exhaustion and Ego Are Soul Killers
Elijah says, “Take my life. I’m no better than my ancestors.”?He lies under a tree and sleeps.
God does not rebuke him.?God sends an angel to touch him and say, “Get up and eat.”?Bread. Water. Rest. And more rest.
Before Elijah can hear the whisper of God, he needs to stop striving and start receiving.
Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is sleep and eat.
IV. The Whisper: How God Reorients Us
After forty days and nights, Elijah reaches Mount Horeb. And there, the divine encounter unfolds:
A windstorm tears through the mountains—but God is not in the wind.
An earthquake shakes the ground—but God is not in the quake.
A fire follows—but God is not in the fire.
Finally, there comes a sound of sheer silence. A whisper.
And Elijah covers his face. He knows: this is the presence of God.
Sometimes, we expect God in spectacle. We look for signs and wonders. But God often speaks most profoundly in silence. Not because God is absent—but because He is near.
Illustration: The Teacher Who Whispered
A teacher once stood before her noisy class and began to whisper. The room didn’t notice at first. But slowly, one by one, the students grew quiet. Their curiosity overcame their noise.
Later someone asked, “Why didn’t you yell?”
She replied, “Because when you whisper, you invite people to draw close. And if they care, they’ll lean in to listen.”
God whispered to Elijah—not to scare him, but to draw him near.
V. God’s Correction: “What Are You Doing Here?”
Twice, God asks, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”?It’s not condemnation. It’s a sacred pause. An invitation to reassess, to reflect, to return.
Elijah repeats his lament: “I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.”?But God gently corrects him: “No—you’re not alone. I have 7,000 others who have not bowed to Baal.”
Elijah thought he was God’s only hope. But God’s mission never depends on one person. We are part of something much larger than ourselves.
VI. God’s Encouragement: Go Back, You’re Not Done
Then God recommissions Elijah:
Go back.
Anoint kings.
Call Elisha to follow you.
In other words: You still have a job to do.
Elijah was ready to give up. He saw only failure and futility. But God, like Clarence the angel, shows Elijah: your life matters more than you know.
Richard Bach once wrote, “If you are alive, your mission in life is not yet complete.”
God whispers: “You’re not done.”
What are the lessons for us in this fascinating case of the frustrated, narcissistic prophet?
Perhaps we should beware of self-importance. Like Elijah, we can sometimes act as if everything depends on us — our family, job or church. While God values our contributions, God’s work does not hinge on any one person. We are part of a larger story.
Look for God in the small things. Elijah expected God in the wind, earthquake or fire, but God came in a whisper. This reminds us that God’s work often occurs in the small, quiet acts of kindness, patience and love that we might overlook. It’s a perspective that Arundhati Roy explores (among other themes) in her Booker Prize-winning novel, The God of Small Things. There is a divine relationship between the little things, the apparently insignificant moments, and the overall detritus of life that prefigures more momentous things like responsibility, love, justice and death. Those who are wise look for God in all the right places.
Remember the community. Elijah thought he was alone, but God reminded him of the 7,000 faithful who refused to bow the knee before Ba’al. Isolation can breed despair, but God’s kingdom is full of faithful people working in concert through a variety of callings and gifts to bring glory to God.
Focus on the mission, not the self. God redirects Elijah to the task ahead — anointing new leaders and preparing the way for others. The mission of God is greater than our personal feelings or struggles.
Like Elijah, we will face obnoxious people, unwelcome news and troubled times. We might begin to wonder what it’s all about. We begin to think that it’s all about us.
It isn’t. It’s all about God. Thanks be to God!
That question echoes for us today:?What are you doing here, beloved??Are you burned out by ego? Are you trying to carry what only God can??Are you mistaking God's silence for absence?
If you are alive, your mission isn’t complete.?And your most faithful moment might not come in fire, but in hearing the whisper.
So listen, friends. Be still.?For when the fire fails and the whisper comes—God is still speaking.
Amen.
