You are not alone

We're told in these chapters about Elijah's greatest victory. In one afternoon he defeats all the prophets of Baal in a wonderful display of the power of God. He bravely challenges them, and confidently faces them down. Why, then, after this great display of victory do we see him running for his life from Jezebel? Surely a man who initiated a public showdown for the glory of God would have been confident in God's ability to protect his life. After all, God had done it before!

This time, he seeks isolation, and obviously seems to battle with depression. "I have had enough Lord. Take my life." We've had a lot of hard circumstances affect our area this week. The entire southeast was hit by tornadoes and so many people have lost their property, family, or livelihood. I can't even begin to comprehend what so many of these people have had to go through. But, Elijah was fresh off of a tremendous victory, not some devastating defeat. He should have been confidently walking with God, not cowering in fear contemplating how great it would be for his life to be over.

So, what was going on here? Often we can get discouraged after a great spiritual experience, especially ones that require great emotion or physical effort on our part. It can be because we have unfulfilled expectations after great events like that, things we expected God to do that He didn't. Or, we can get frustrated with the lack of spirituality of the people around us. This may have been the case with Elijah. He tells God, "I'm all alone, the only one standing for you, and now my life is threatened as well?" Can't you just hear him asking, "What else can go wrong now? You were supposed to fix everything with that last stunt! Why don't they all realize I'm right?? How much longer do I have to do this?"

It's sometimes easy to look around and go, "Lord, I'm the only one serving you. Why are all the other people getting the blessings? Where are mine? Why can't you just do _________?" The "poor, pitiful me" mentality sets in and we loose perspective. Elijah forgot (but was gently reminded by God) that seven thousand others had remained faithful as well. What I love about this passage is that God never condemns his tiredness or weakness. He meets him where he is and gives him what he needs. An encounter with Himself. He had felt the power and seen the mighty display of God on the mountain. What he needed was the gentle whisper, and quiet conversation with the God of the universe. He also needed a little perspective to point him back in the right direction.

It's easy in the Christian life to get caught up in the "doing." God certainly wants us to serve him, and serving him requires some "doing." Maybe a lot of doing. But we can't forget that we need the time alone with God. We need to hear his whisper to our hearts to give us the motivation and courage we need to keep going. Our God is a very personal God who desires to meet us where we are- in victory or defeat. He sustains us, guides us, and gives us what we need to carry on. He desires for us to follow him in obedience even when our desires and nature tell us that it would be better to just "do what we want." Can you imagine if Elijah hadn't obeyed God and went to anoint the men and find Elisha? Some archeologist may have found his bones still in that cave.

God's prescription wasn't to baby him, or even really to validate his feelings. While Elijah is saying "poor, pitiful, lonely me" God is saying, "Get moving. There's still work to be done." Sometimes what we need is a refreshed focus and perspective. I've certainly had days where just staying in bed and pulling the covers over my head all day seemed like the best option. Often, that's the worst thing we can do. Remember, God wants us to run our race with perseverance! If it wasn't going to be tough sometimes, we wouldn't need to "persevere!"

It's also neat to me that after this God sends Elisha to help minister with Elijah. We can't always do it alone. If you are experiencing frustration in ministry or in your Christian walk, pray for someone to minister with you. The encouragement of other believers is vital to our spiritual health. Don't try to go it alone. As our pastor at Oak Hill talked about in his sermon this past Sunday, we are created in the image of a relational God. Therefore, we are relational people, meant to exist in relationship with both God and other people.

Are you tired and defeated? You aren't alone. God is with you and desires to lift you up. Spend some time with Him and let him minister to your heart in ways that only he can. Secondly, seek out some healthy time with other believers who will encourage you. Don't get together to gripe (I love that Elijah tried to discourage Elisha from coming with him. He basically says, "I wouldn't wish this life on my worst enemy.") but spend time together talking over what God is doing in your life or in the lives of others. Spend some time with people who are excited about what God is doing. Maybe it will rub off on you!

Third, never make the mistake of thinking you are invincible. The more God is doing in our lives and using us, the bigger the threat to Satan we are. That puts us like a blinking red light on his radar. He's going to focus his attack a little harder. Stay vigilant. Stay close to God, guard your heart and mind. Put on your armor. Stay humble. Often the discouragement that comes after a spiritual high has to do with disappointed pride.

Finally, trust God to help you get from point A to point B. Did you know that to get from Mount Carmel to Mount Horeb, Elijah had to walk something like 200 miles? Without additional food, it was only God who could have given him the extra strength he needed to make that distance. Even when you think you are alone- you have a God who will sustain you.

You Are Not Alone.

Find a place where you can hear the gentle whisper.

And then, listen for the directions. God always has work for us to do.

Finally, expect to meet a friend along the way.