Today's OT passage begins with Elijah experiencing the depths of discouragement and depression. V3-5 even imply that he was suicidal.
A great man of God, suicidal, immediately after experiencing what was arguably one of the greatest miracles and demonstrations of God's power in the history of the world! Why?
Well, perhaps Elijah expected that this success would equal complete success. That Ahab would put Jezebel in her place and begin a godly rule. That obviously was not the case and he fled from Jezebel in fear.
Fear and discouragement led to to his depression. It's interesting to see what God does with this depressed prophet. First He cares for his physical needs - He feeds him and gives him rest. God then tries to get Elijah to deal with the root of the problem by asking him why he was here? But Elijah doesn't cooperate with this part of the therapy. Elijah doesn't admit the real reason which was fear. He tries to cloak it in pious words, instead of confessing his real motive.
So, God responds by showing himself to Elijah, not in the spectacular (which it seems is what Elijah expected, after the spectacular showdown at Carmel), but in a gentle whisper. He's trying to get Elijah to focus on Him.
But Elijah still does not answer honestly.
And so God, though not allowing Elijah to quit by suicide, allows him to get a trainee to take over his ministry.
How sad. I had never really noticed this part of Elijah's ministry.
I think Elijah's experience is a huge reminder to us to not expect God to always deal in the spectacular. Often God works in small ways and in humble hearts.
We also need to take care of our physical bodies if we want to spiritually strong.
And we need to be honest with God and with ourselves about our failings or our fears. Until we have acknowledged them, complete restoration cannot happen.
We also need to focus on God, and then we need to go out and do the work He has for us to do.
Pretty good instruction manual I think!
Tomorrow's passage: 1 Kings 21-22, Acts 14
3 comments:
How true. We often have expectations from and about God and if we don't have those met, we get discouraged.
This stood out for me:
1 The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.”
11 Then 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. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
I think we often expect to find God working in magnificent and earth shattering ways and yet, as you already mentioned, he often "works in small ways and in humble hearts".
That quiet whisper is so important. And I like what you said "And we need to be honest with God and with ourselves about our failings or our fears. Until we have acknowledged them, complete restoration cannot happen"
My thoughts and applications are similar to Pamela's. The reminder I needed from God is not to figure that I know what he's doing and become disheartened because my expectations haven't been met.
One of the hardest things I experience regularly is knowing that God has whispered for me to speak a truth in love for His glory and not see Him turning everyone to Himself immediately. It's easy to accept that God is testing my obedience, planting a seed, watering a seed, reaching an observer, etc... But to not see the fruit in the area in which you think God has called you? How hard it must have been for Elijah to fight for Ahab's heart to return to God and fail. How hard it must have been to watch the consequences...
Little did Elijah know that although he failed to protect Israel from Jezebel that centuries of believers after him would be blessed by his faithfulness and learn from his dismay. God used him far beyond what his expectations were.
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