Father God responds to us in the way we need. Elijah had already experienced God's power attributes. Here he needed rest, quiet and peaceful recovery of physical and spiritual strength, as well as reassurance that he was on the "right path," i.e. God's plan. God knew Elijah was now paying attention to Him. He spoke the way that would accomplish what both of them needed to advance His plan: quiet, intimate communication - and information. What the Lord said gave Elijah the information he was going to need when he returned to the scene of the battle: you're not the only one left. There were indeed many other faithful ones, the school of the prophets indicates that fact, and Elijah needed to remember and acknowledge that. Some believers may not be paying attention considering the distractions of their personal battles, i.e. family, work, health, many busy activities, but God will speak to us the way we need just as he did to Elijah. He may first remind us of his power attributes / our past victories to refocus our attention, using wind, earthquake and fire as he did with Elijah. But He has a plan for us, both in our personal lives and for using us to advance his kingdom. I believe He is more interested in getting through to us than we are.
