Are you discouraged? Or do you know someone who is? Even those of us who know and walk with God can get exhausted, disappointed, and discouraged. We may be discouraged over our own or someone else’s progress with God. We can, also, be discouraged and disappointed with God’s answers or lack of answers to our prayers. And most of us, probably, find it hard not to be discouraged over what has been going on in our nation. Other times we can be just plain tired. And fatigue, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, can give us a warped sense of reality.
Elijah had just witnessed one of the most incredible and dramatic moves of God. But in today’s reading, he has decided he is the only one left serving God, that those in charge are going to kill him, and that God isn’t really working at all. In short, he is having a big pity party. He is so discouraged that he asks God to kill him. Instead, God gave him what he really needed. We often need the same thing when we’re depressed and ready to give up.
Today’s Readings:
1 Kings 19 & 20
Psalm 70.1-5
Proverbs 18.1-2
John 14.1-31
What We Need When We’re Discouraged
1 Kings 19 & 20:
A Call for a Showdown
In yesterday’s reading the prophet Elijah had been the instrument of a great move of God. Chapter 18:
21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23 Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. 24 Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.”
So all the people answered and said, “It is well spoken.”
The Prophets of Baal
The prophets of Baal went first. They called on the name of their god from morning until evening, leaping around the altar and cutting themselves with knives and lances until blood gushed out of them “… but there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention” (18.29b).
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. 31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.”
32 Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, “Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.” 34 Then he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time; and he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. 35 So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.
Calling on God
36 And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. 37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.”
38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”
40 And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there.
What an incredible move of God! But the story doesn’t end there.
Running for His Life
Chapter 19:
1 And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, also how he had executed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.”
Unbelievably, after defeating the false prophets and seeing God do such a mighty work, Elijah responded to Jezebel’s threat by running for his life.
As John MacArthur pointed out in his Daily Bible, he probably expected Ahab and Jezebel to repent after that great display of God’s power.
He was probably physically and spiritually exhausted, as well. Elijah’s disappointment over their lack of repentance and his own exhaustion led to discouragement and depression (in verse 19.3 he even asked God to take his life).
This should be a good reminder to us that when we get exhausted, physically, emotionally, or spiritually, things often seem much worse than they are because we can easily get our eyes off God and onto our own strength or lack of it.
But instead of taking his life, God gave him what he actually needed.
Food, Rest & Perspective
First, food and rest:
5 Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.” 6 Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. 7 And the angel of the LORD came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.” 8 So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.
Elijah had. also, decided he was the only one left serving God. That is another aspect of discouragement and depression. They warp our sense of reality.
So, second, he needed God’s perspective on the situation. After announcing His presence with a mighty wind, an earthquake, and fire, God spoke to him and revealed His plan and instructions (19.15-17).
Then He addressed Elijah’s self-pity and false belief that he was the only one left of God’s people:
Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him (19.18).
When We’re Exhausted, Disappointed or Discouraged
So what should we do when we’re exhausted, disappointed, or discouraged?
Often we need some rest. That might mean a good night’s sleep or, though it’s not always possible, a couple of days away from a situation.
And we need to allow ourselves to be refreshed, not just physically, but spiritually. Listen to an encouraging podcast or sing along with some good worship music.
Get a new perspective. Read God’s Word. Meet with a godly friend, a biblical counselor, or a pastor. Find a podcast or teaching on the issue. Pull out a book on the subject.
But don’t just sit and stew or binge on TV. Pray and ask God for the will to do what pleases Him. When we recognize our own weaknesses, God will often do the most incredible things.
On Another Note
One amazing thing to me is how God continued to give Ahab and Jezebel opportunities to see His power and goodness and to repent and turn from their idolatry! In chapter 20 He gave them two great victories over Syria and each time He said, “… and you shall know that I am the Lord” (vv. 20.13, 28).
And He hasn’t changed. Most of us can look back in amazement at His patience and mercy in our lives.
God responds to us in His goodness over and over before He sends His wrath. But He will, eventually, judge sin and unrighteousness. Sadly, that would be the case for Ahab and Jezebel.
Today’s Other Readings:
Psalm 70.1-5:
Our Deliverer
This passage is a beautiful prayer of deliverance from one’s enemies. If you feel under attack, read through it thoughtfully and pray it back to God.
Proverbs 18.1-2:
Why We Need Other Believers and a Constant Intake of God’s Truth
A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; he rages against all wise judgment (v. 1).
Often when we stay away from mature believers who care about us, it’s because we know what we’re doing is wrong and we just don’t want to hear what they have to say!
Just like Elijah, when we’re isolated, we can get off into self-pity and caught up in our own selfish or distorted perspective. We need other believers to encourage and, at times, reprove us. And just as the prophet did, we need God’s Word to remind us of His plan, purposes, and truth.
John 14.1-31:
One Way—Jesus!
Verse 3 is one of Jesus’ promises referring to the Rapture of the church:
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
Verse 6 is another of His great “I Am” statements:
Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’ (v. 6).
When unbelievers accuse us of intolerance or narrow-mindedness in thinking Jesus is the only Way, we need to remember that Jesus is the One who said it! As followers of Christ, we cannot buy into the idea that many roads lead to God or let the accusation silence us. While we are not to be self-righteous or mean-spirited about it, if we truly love the lost, we must patiently and consistently stand for the truth in spite of any persecution or accusation.
Coming Up:
In the coming days, we’ll talk about those who hate the truth, the importance of godly friends, the cost of doing what’s right, self-esteem, our habits, laziness, and living based on the hope that is within us.
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Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥
Note about this post:
I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer.
A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”
I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)
I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.
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