For those who are discouraged...

In 1 Kings 19:2-10, the Bible says,

“2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.” 3 Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. 4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” 5 And he lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 6 And he looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.” 8 And he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God. 9 There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 

Here, we read about Elijah and how he is absolutely scared for his life because he is fleeing death from the hand of Jezebel. Elijah is so scared that he becomes completely depressed. In verse 4, we read, about how Elijah has completely isolated himself and is totally discouraged. He has truly given up and he has prayed to God that He might take his life.

Keep in mind, this is the same guy who called fire down from Heaven on a wet surface, who helped the widow and her son have food and not starve, among so many other amazing things. He is a man of devout prayer and now, he is praying to he will die.

Praise God his prayer was not answered. In fact, Elijah technically never died. God called him up to Heaven and took him in a chariot. Think of how grateful Elijah must have felt – that God said no to this prayer while he was ascending into Heaven. Sometimes getting a no from God is better than a yes. Trust the plan!

In verses 5 and 6, the Bible tells us that God extended his mercy to Elijah and provided him with rest and food. Not only does the spirit need fed, but the body and mind need fed, too. These can seem like very small things to focus on when pertaining to the Word of God, but sometimes these are the first steps in helping a poor and depressed servant of God.

Sometimes when you are just so overwhelmed with life, you just need to take a deep breath and rest. Even if you aren’t the one who is overwhelmed with life, find that friend who does feel that way and just rest with them. Mark 6:31 says, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.”

In verses 7-9, depressed once again, Elijah is hiding in a cave. God seeks him out and plainly asks, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” God knows the answer, but it is always good to tell God how you are feeling and what’s going on in your life.

Then, in verse 10, Elijah tells God that he has faithfully served Him and now he’s in all this danger and trouble. He also says that he is the “only one left,” which is not true. Obadiah, another prophet was also alive. Obadiah saved 100 prophets from Jezebel because she also wanted to kill them. Obadiah ended up giving them food and water and providing care.

So what’s the significance of this lie?

When you go through any trouble at all in life, the enemy will put lies in your head. The enemy will tell you that you’re the only one who is going through this trial, and to be honest with you, I have said this to myself many, many times. The enemy will say this to you to isolate you. Do not let the enemy convince you to isolate yourself when you go through any trial in life.

So we know that Elijah is running away from Jezebel because she wants to kill him. The thing is, however, she has always wanted to kill him. The only thing that changed was his mindset. He had just had this amazing victory where he said it wasn’t going to rain in that kingdom until he said so. So, it doesn’t rain for 3.5 years. Then, he calls fire down from Heaven on a wet surface. Then, he prays to God and it rains. So, the only thing that happened was he had a change of mind about whether he wanted to be scared or not.

In verses 11-16, we read,

“11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 13 And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” 15 And the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. 16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place.”

Verses 11 and 12 – God knew the depressed and discouraged Elijah needed a personal encounter with Him. But God wasn’t in the wind, or the earthquake, or the fire. Maybe Elijah looked for God in dramatic moments like these. But Zechariah 4:6 says, “’Not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit’ saith the Lord.” Elijah heard God in the sound of a low whisper.

God is soft-spoken. He’s not loud and angry when He talks. He often talks to us in the quiet of the night. The still, small voice of God speaking to our hearts is far more powerful than outward displays of power or judgement.

In verses 15 and 16, we see that God gave Elijah something to do. Jehu was going to replace Ahab and Jezebel as King of Israel. God also gave Elijah something else, too. He gave him a friend and a successor – Elisha.

Elijah thought he was all alone, and God knew he needed someone. Elijah would soon help Elisha become an awesome prophet so that when Elijah left the Earth, the people would still be in good hands. In your season of discouragement, make sure you have friends by your side, fighting for you on your behalf!

Don’t let worldly things force you to give up your place where God has put you. Elijah was so scared of Jezebel that he yielded his place as an active missionary. However, if the enemy can’t get you to yield your place that God has you in, he will try to distract you with money, power, relationships – you name it.

So what do we learn from Elijah? We learn that the enemy knows he can’t defeat you if you are a child of God. The enemy knows God’s word better than we do, BUT if you have been saved for 5 seconds, there is more power in any of us than the enemy will ever have. This is resurrection power! This is the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead and it is resting inside of you if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your savior. Romans 8:11 says, “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”

The enemy wants you to give up your place. He will make you look at the downside of everything in your life. Don’t be like Elijah and just take a nap and not do anything afterwards.

If you’re in a season where you are feeling overwhelmed and discouraged, take a minute to yourself, eat a snack, and rest for a bit! God is going to help you get through this season!