[Darris McNeely] How do you find your real purpose in life? How do you know, and how do you determine what you're supposed to do? What you're supposed to do with your life? In other words, the age-old question, "Why were you born?"

We've heard that question many times, yet I think everyone one of us, at some point, whether when we were a teenager, middle-aged, or even in our later years, we ask, "What's my real purpose, my mission? What am I supposed to be doing?" And it's a good question to ask. Here's one way that may be the way by which we detect that and come to it.

We understand that we may go through a number of ups and downs and a number of challenges, even some triumphs in our life and successes through the years, and maybe even the decades before we finally get to that point. There may be problems, there may be lessons for us to learn.

I was thinking about that as I was reading about the story of Elijah, the prophet, from the Old Testament. You all know, everybody knows the story of Elijah. How he was this prophet of God, he prophesized that within the nation of Israel, there would not be any rain for three years until at his word. And then, at the end of that three-year period, he had this major confrontation with the prophets of Baal, where they built these altars and the prophets of Baal couldn't do anything. And Elijah calls down fire from heaven and consumes the altar, and he takes care of the prophets of Baal at that time. But then, he gets a threat, there at the height of his power, even after the drought is over, Jezebel threatens him. He runs south. And he goes out into the desert and comes to the mountain where the commandments were given, Mount Horeb, and there he takes refuge.

And, the story is as told in 1 Kings 19, beginning in verse 13, is very interesting because he begins to have God deal with him there. And God tells him, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord for the Lord is about to pass by. And a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake but the Lord was not in the earthquake. Big events, big things, manifestations of power. After the earthquake, came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, came a gentle whisper. Or as the King James puts it, a still small voice. There was God. Elijah heard that, that voice, he pulled his cloak over his face, went out, and stood in the mouth of the cave, and a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" And Elijah replies, "I've been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, put your prophets to death with the sword. I'm the only one left, and now they're trying to kill me too." That's why he was there.

God reveals to him that all of this, in a sense, was preparation for his full mission. His real mission wasn't to stop the rain for three years, it wasn't to have this big demonstration on the mountain with the prophets, calling down fires as big as that was. He now gives him his real mission, and that's to go out and to witness before certain leaders and do certain things among which is to anoint his successor, Elisha, which he does. And he prepares the way for the future, and what Elisha will do within the kingdom of Israel at that time.

Looking at that story, Elijah went through some big events but he wasn't yet fully ready for perhaps the mission that God had called him for that He reveals to him in a still, small voice. Think about that when it comes to what you and I are to do. Our mission, why we were born. The real best thing that we can do, detecting that and coming to that through years of experience, through relationship with God, seeking God's understanding and direction in that. Sometimes it will come after big events, sometimes it will come when we least expect it, but it will always come through that still, small voice of God.

That's BT Dally. Join us next time.